Belgium’s Record-Breaking High Fens Wildfire Spreads Toward Germany

A wildfire ignited on August 14, 2026, in the High Fens (Hautes Fagnes) nature reserve in Jalhay, eastern Belgium. By the morning of August 16, the blaze had become the largest ever recorded in the country, surpassing the 2011 fire that burned about 1,400 hectares.

CGTN

The office of the governor of Liège reported that the fire covered 2,700 hectares by 1600 GMT on August 15, up from 1,600 hectares earlier that day. A later update on August 16 put the total at roughly 3,000 hectares. The rapid expansion prompted officials to note that the terrain limited close-range attacks, allowing the fire to spread quickly across the dry, tinder-like landscape.

CGTN

Belgium requested emergency assistance, prompting the European Union to dispatch three helicopters and two water-bomber aircraft on August 15. The aircraft originated from the Czech Republic, Sweden, and the Netherlands, as explained by EU Crisis Commissioner Hadja Lahbib. Firefighters from Belgium, Germany, and Luxembourg, together with army units and local farmers, have been engaged in containment efforts. Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken used X to announce evacuations of several villages and a children’s summer camp as winds shifted and smoke intensified.

CGTN

Stephanie Ernoux, spokesperson for the Wallonia administration, said responders hoped that cooler, more humid weather would aid containment. The governor’s office confirmed that no homes had been damaged at the time of reporting, though smoke levels remained high. German authorities in the nearby town of Monschau indicated that while the fire was not expected to cross the border, significant smoke pollution was likely, leading to precautionary advisories for residents near the frontier.

The Straits Times

The fire erupted during the region’s fifth heatwave of the summer, a pattern scientists link to human-caused climate change, which increases the likelihood of hot, dry conditions that enable wildfires to spread faster and burn longer. The event underscores the growing need for coordinated cross-border emergency resources as extreme weather becomes more frequent across Europe.

The Straits Times