Belgium is battling its largest modern-day wildfire in the eastern High Fens near the German border, where flames have scorched about 30 square kilometres of peat and forest. Overnight rain on Monday brought temporary relief, but officials warn the underground blaze could smoulder for months.
While forecasts originally pointed to worsening conditions across the continent, a cold front arriving on Monday brought between 5 and 9 millimetres of rain and cooler temperatures to eastern Belgium. The shift provided a brief window of opportunity for emergency crews after days of extreme heat pushed temperatures to 37 degrees Celsius last week, leaving the region tinder-dry.
The High Fens Fire Burns 3,000 Hectares Near Germany
The fire in Liège province has ravaged an estimated 3,000 hectares, or 30 square kilometres, of moorland, peat bogs, and woods. The scale of the destruction far surpasses Belgium’s previous record-breaking wildfire in 2011, which burned close to 1,400 hectares.
Precautionary evacuation orders remained in effect for hundreds of residents in municipalities such as Waimes and Bütgenbach, while tourists cancelled reservations and left the region. King Philippe of Belgium interrupted his summer vacation to visit emergency services.
International Aid and Complex Ground Operations
More than 250 firefighters—expanding to around 500 personnel with international deployments—have worked around the clock to contain the flames.
Aircraft sent from Norway, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, and local police drones have joined in dropping water over the dense forest canopy. Farmers from both Belgium and Germany have also supported firefighting operations by driving tractors to pull in water from Lake Robertville and fill tanker trucks.
Despite these efforts, the terrain presents severe obstacles. The landscape of peat bogs and raised wooden boardwalks creates areas where heavy firefighting vehicles risk sinking, leaving ground crews unable to reach certain sectors.
Underground Threats in Peat Bogs and Ecological Toll
Although favorable winds and overnight rain helped contain parts of the blaze—preventing it from crossing entirely into the German town of Monschau—regional officials caution that the danger is far from over. Nicolas Yernaux, spokesperson for the Wallonia regional public services, noted that while precipitation dampened surface flare-ups, it did not significantly impact the centre of the fire.
Forest rangers explain that the fire has penetrated deep into the soil. Yves Pieper, a forest ranger in the region, described how the flames have moved downward into the peat layer.
What we see here is that the grassland has burned and the fire has gone into the soil to a certain depth, into the peat, and it is still burning. It can go down very, very low in the peat layer.
The Associated Press
Because the fire can continue smouldering unseen underground for weeks or months, experts warn that new flames could sporadically reappear.
Broader European Wildfire Crisis
The disaster in Belgium unfolds amid a wider continental crisis. Data from the European Forest Fire Information System shows that fires have scorched 576,000 hectares across Europe this year.
With the traditional June-to-September fire season continuing, authorities across Europe remain on high alert as prolonged drought conditions maintain extreme wildfire risks.
