Firefighters battle to contain Belgium's largest wildfire in a century

Firefighters in Belgium are battling to contain a massive 3,000-hectare wildfire in the High Fens nature reserve, the country's largest blaze since 1911. Fueled by a severe heatwave with temperatures reaching 37C, the fire has blanketed the region in thick smoke, forcing evacuations in Belgium and the nearby German border town of Monschau. While international aircraft from Norway, Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands have deployed to assist, low clouds and rain have repeatedly grounded aerial operations, leaving ground crews and local volunteering farmers to navigate the treacherous, boggy terrain.

High Fens wildfire containment efforts

• ▪Regional government spokesperson Nicolas Yernaux stated on August 18, 2026 that firefighters were on the verge of linking the eastern and northern fronts of the High Fens wildfire.
• ▪Firefighters launched a decisive push on August 18, 2026 to encircle Belgium's largest wildfire in a century, which is burning in the High Fens nature reserve.
• ▪The High Fens wildfire grew over the weekend of August 15-16, 2026 to cover approximately 3,000 hectares, which is about half the size of Manhattan.
• ▪Belgium's Interior Minister Bernard Quintin stated on August 17, 2026 that it could take several weeks of soaking and dousing to prevent the High Fens wildfire from reigniting.

Extreme heat conditions

• ▪The High Fens wildfire broke out in an area of Belgium previously ravaged by massive fires in 1911 during a similar period of heatwaves.
• ▪Belgium experienced a spell of intense heat and drought with temperatures reaching up to 37C in some parts of the country during the week preceding August 18, 2026.
• ▪Europe has been swept by weeks of devastating wildfires fueled by dry conditions and a historically hot summer, with France, Greece, Portugal, and Spain also battling major fires.

Difficult terrain access

• ▪Local farmers from nearby areas like Waremme volunteered to help by using tractors to pull water tankers from a nearby lake to the High Fens wildfire site.
• ▪Wallonia's Agriculture Ministry announced on August 18, 2026 that it is reviewing compensation for farmers who volunteered their machinery to help battle the High Fens wildfire.
• ▪The High Fens terrain consists of a patchwork of heath, peat bogs, and raised wooden boardwalks where heavy vehicles risk sinking, making close-range firefighting difficult.

Cross-border smoke impact

• ▪Residents of the German border town of Monschau, located roughly 2.3 kilometers from the High Fens wildfire, were placed under evacuation orders due to the smoke hazard.
• ▪The High Fens wildfire smoke spread dozens of kilometers east into Germany, prompting air quality warnings in major cities including Cologne and Wuppertal.
• ▪The High Fens wildfire smoke triggered evacuations in one Belgian village and two hamlets, though residents of the hamlet of Sourbrodt were allowed to return on August 17, 2026.

International firefighting cooperation

• ▪Water-bombing aircraft and helicopters from Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Norway have been deployed to assist Belgian firefighters at the High Fens nature reserve.
• ▪Low cloud cover, rain, and wind repeatedly grounded international water-bombing aircraft and helicopters on August 17 and August 18, 2026.