Two rescuers injured as High Fens residents remain displaced

Updated 17 August 2026 — SOURBRODT, WAIMES: Two rescuers were injured while responding to the wildfire in the High Fens, and residents evacuated from part of Sourbrodt still cannot return home, La DH reported on Monday. Rain has made the emergency crews’ work easier, but the report said the evacuation remains in force while responders assess whether the area is safe.

The fire has been burning since Friday in the High Fens, between the Eupen and Malmedy areas near Belgium’s border with Germany, according to La DH. Authorities have urged the public to stay away so that firefighting vehicles can move freely and crews can continue tackling the fire without additional risk. La DH did not specify in its latest headline update how the two rescuers were injured or describe their conditions.

The operation is particularly difficult because fire can persist below the surface in peat. Laurane Winandy, director of the University of Liège’s High Fens scientific station, told Belgian media that peat can continue burning underground and later produce new outbreaks. Her assessment also indicated extensive damage to sensitive bog habitats, although a definitive ecological inventory can begin only after the emergency phase.

The Walloon administration describes the reserve as especially vulnerable when dry vegetation and unfavourable weather allow flames to spread rapidly. Its public guidance prohibits fires and barbecues in or near forests and provides for access restrictions under the red-flag system. The administration recorded a 1,200-hectare High Fens fire in April 2011 as the previous benchmark for a major Walloon wildfire.

For displaced residents, the immediate issue is when authorities will lift the evacuation order. Rain reduces fire behaviour at the surface, but it does not by itself establish that roads, homes and peatland are safe. Emergency officials must check for remaining hot spots and renewed ignition before allowing people back.

The response and the restrictions remain an evolving story. The next official updates are expected to clarify the rescuers’ conditions, the area affected, the status of containment and the timetable for residents’ return. The cause of the fire has not been established publicly in the material reviewed.