Overview
- The blaze began on Friday in the High Fens nature reserve and expanded rapidly to about 3,000 hectares by Sunday, surpassing Belgium’s previous modern record.
- Authorities ordered precautionary evacuations for roughly 600 people from Sourbrodt and Butgenbach and opened reception centres, and officials say defensive lines have so far kept homes safe.
- Belgium activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and received aerial help including water‑bombing planes from Sweden and multiple helicopters from the Netherlands, Czech Republic and other partners.
- More than 250 emergency personnel, including Belgian and German firefighters, police and military, are on site, but crews cannot reach the fire’s ignition point and say peat bogs, raised boardwalks and shifting winds make ground operations very difficult.
- The fire is part of a wider hot, dry European fire season and highlights a particular risk from peatland fires that burn deeper and are harder to extinguish, which could prolong smoke and local health impacts and complicate future containment.