More than 2,700 hectares of the Hautes Fagnes nature reserve have gone up in smoke. Facing one of the worst fires in the country's history, European reinforcements have been deployed and hundreds of residents evacuated.
Eastern Belgium has been engulfed by a historic wildfire since Friday. The fire, which broke out in the middle of the day in the Hautes Fagnes nature reserve near the German border, rapidly consumed 2,700 hectares of vegetation, making it the largest wildfire ever recorded in the country.
Starting from an initial area of 80 hectares, the blaze spread at breakneck speed, fueled by persistent drought, temperatures reaching 37°C, and shifting winds. The rugged terrain of the Fagnes, composed of peat bogs and heathlands, is considerably complicating firefighting efforts. "Without them, we wouldn't be able to fight this fire," said the fire chief, underscoring the critical importance of aerial resources.
Unprecedented European Mobilization
By Saturday, Belgium had activated the European Union's civil protection mechanism, enabling the arrival of aerial reinforcements. Swedish water-bomber aircraft, Dutch helicopters, and a Czech helicopter were deployed to support Belgian firefighters, joined by their German and Luxembourgish counterparts. The Belgian army and local farmers are also being mobilized to transport water and protect homes.
Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, described the wildfire as "the latest sign of climate upheaval" affecting the continent. "Never before has the forest fire season started so early in the year or reached such northerly latitudes," she emphasized.
Evacuations and Fears for the Future
Faced with the advancing flames, authorities ordered the preventive evacuation of several hundred people in the villages of Sourbrodt and Buetgenbach. A reception center has been opened in Malmedy. Thick smoke is spreading for dozens of kilometers around, and the German municipality of Monschau is also preparing for possible evacuations.
While the cause of the fire has yet to be determined, this historic blaze illustrates a worrying trend: the Study and Research Center of the Administration (CERAC) in Belgium notes that the frequency of vegetation fires is steadily increasing, with 71 fires already recorded in 2026 before the Hautes Fagnes blaze. As one official summed it up, this fire "could well be a full-scale warning" for all of Wallonia.
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