Belgium's Worst Wildfire Burns Third of High Fens Reserve
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- The High Fens wildfire consumed roughly a third of Belgium's largest nature reserve, prompting authorities to order evacuations in two nearby villages and open a gymnasium for displaced residents.
- Belgium activated the EU civil protection mechanism, securing two Swedish water-bombing aircraft plus helicopters from the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, with European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib confirming their deployment.
- Firefighters deliberately allowed sections of heathland to burn because the High Fens' bog-like, forested, and moorland terrain was too difficult to access, regional spokesperson Nicolas Yernaux said.
- France's Landes region saw 650 residents evacuate after a wildfire that began Thursday reignited on Saturday, with more than 500 firefighters deployed to contain the blaze.
- Copernicus, the EU's climate monitoring service, confirmed that western Europe recorded its hottest June-to-July period on record, a backdrop to simultaneous wildfires in Belgium, France, Croatia, Spain, and Serbia.
- Belgian firefighter Gregory Melotte told broadcaster RTBF that shifting winds complicated containment, noting crews had succeeded in stopping flames from reaching a fir forest but that the fire remained active.
Why it matters: The blaze is officially Belgium's worst in recent history and burned through a protected nature reserve that is difficult to access, meaning even with EU-wide air support, suppression relied partly on letting fire burn where terrain made it unapproachable. With simultaneous fires across five European countries and Copernicus confirming record heat, the event shows the continent's wildfire response capacity is being tested simultaneously rather than sequentially.
Ask SkimNews
