Sourbrodt residents return home as High Fens fire leaves severe ecological damage

Updated: 17 August 2026. Authorities allowed evacuated residents of Sourbrodt, in the municipality of Waimes, to return home on Monday as emergency services continued securing the High Fens after a wildfire that began on Friday, De Morgen reported. The return order confirms that the immediate danger to the village has eased, but crews remain alert because peat can keep burning below ground after visible flames subside.

The fire spread through protected heath, forest and peatland during exceptionally dry conditions. Its final extent and the precise share of the nature reserve affected have not yet been established through a completed field survey. De Morgen reported that the destruction of fauna and flora was considered catastrophic by people responsible for the area, with restoration work effectively forced back to its starting point.

Laurane Winandy, director of the University of Liège’s High Fens scientific station, told RTBF that rare peat bogs, sensitive habitats and years of ecological restoration had been damaged. Amphibians, reptiles and insects face particularly heavy losses because many shelter in the soil, while larger animals that escaped will return to radically altered habitats, according to her assessment. Two of the reserve’s three active raised bogs were reported to have been touched, although detailed mapping is still required.

The scale matters beyond the blackened landscape. The East Belgium tourism agency describes the High Fens as Wallonia’s oldest nature reserve, protecting about 5,000 hectares of open moor and peatland. Its peat began forming after the last ice age and grows extremely slowly. Burning therefore destroys ecological structures that cannot be recreated on a normal policy or funding timetable.

Access restrictions remain important. Official visitor guidance says red flags close designated sections of the reserve and that entering them can lead to a €250 fine. The tourism authority also warns that prolonged drought can ignite both surface vegetation and peat below it.

Residents can resume daily life, but the nature reserve has not returned to normal. Visitors should check official route information, respect every closure and avoid the affected area. Firefighters will watch for underground hot spots, while scientists and Walloon land managers must map the damage before deciding where restoration remains possible. The cause of the fire and a definitive damage total remain unconfirmed.