Hundreds of residents in eastern Belgium were placed under evacuation orders on Saturday as firefighters confronted one of the nation’s most severe wildfires, leaving extensive tracts of protected countryside charred.
Additional crews were mobilized nationwide to tackle the fire that ignited on Friday in the High Fens park near the German border, spreading rapidly; helicopters and water‑bombing aircraft from across the EU have been deployed to assist.
Officials characterized the incident as the most extensive wildfire in modern Belgian history, igniting in a delicate peatland and pine forest region that had previously experienced catastrophic fires in 1911 during comparable heatwaves and droughts.
By late Saturday, the fire had consumed over 2,700 hectares (6,700 acres), up from just 80 hectares the previous day, according to a statement from local authorities.
“You can’t see anything, there’s smoke everywhere,” said David Rodolfs, a restaurant proprietor from the nearby town of Waimes, in a telephone interview with AFP.
Rodolfs added that his colleagues observed the fire’s outbreak on Friday.
“Ash was falling onto the tables, and we asked our customers to leave; there was no dessert, and everyone had to depart,” the 38‑year‑old explained.
Authorities warned that the rugged terrain of the area was “preventing emergency services from confronting the fire up close…” and limiting their usual tactics.
Residents of the nearby villages of Sourbrodt and Buetgenbach were ordered to evacuate on Saturday afternoon as a precaution, per the authorities.
Belga news agency reported that 600 people were instructed to leave; a gymnasium in the neighbouring municipality of Malmedy was opened to provide shelter.
“We are here to provide them with information and meet their basic needs—food, water, and a place to rest, especially for the most vulnerable,
Others in the area were advised to stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed.
Nicolas Yernaux, a spokesperson for the Walloon regional authorities, warned that the fire remained uncontrolled.
“There is a risk that the fire could reach homes, but we are deploying all available resources to protect them,” Yernaux said.
An AFP journalist escorted into the burn zone observed a vast expanse of blackened vegetation, with dense yellow smoke hanging in the air.
Difficult terrain
Belgium swiftly activated the European Union’s civil protection mechanism, enabling it to request personnel and equipment from across the continent.
A Dutch helicopter was already on site, with two additional units en route, along with two Swedish water‑bombing aircraft.
“They will be operational from tomorrow,” European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib told AFP, describing the blaze as the latest manifestation of the “climate upheaval” affecting the continent.
“Never before has the wildfire season begun so early in the year and reached such northern latitudes,” she remarked.
Operations have been complicated by the fens’ terrain—a patchwork of heath, peat bogs, and raised wooden boardwalks.
Yernaux explained that firefighters had “pulled back to the forest edge and allowed portions of the heathland to burn, given the area’s extreme inaccessibility.”
“The situation is complex and highly dependent on aerial resources,” he added.
Farmers offer help
On social media, numerous farmers posted photographs of themselves heading to the fire zone to assist emergency crews.
Belgian Interior Minister Bernard Quintin told AFP that he was “shocked” by the speed and scale of the destruction.
“But at the same time, we’re grateful for the work that has been done. You can see the farmers out here driving around and continuing to spray water on the area,” Quintin said.
Like much of Europe, Belgium has recently experienced a fresh spell of intense heat, with temperatures reaching up to 37 °C in parts of the country on Friday.
The wildfire lies only a few dozen kilometres from another major blaze in western Germany, which has already forced the evacuation of roughly 1,800 people, with flames advancing toward the first homes in the town of Huertgenwald.