Wildfire Inferno: Belgium’s Heroes Tackle Europe’s Biggest Blaze

Sun Sep 06 2026 15:42:50 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Firefighters battle Belgium’s largest reserve fire, evacuating villages while EU planes rush in for help.

A massive wildfire ravaged Belgium’s High Fens nature reserve, the worst in recent history, forcing evacuations of nearby villages. Firefighters faced tough terrain and extreme heat, with water‑bombing aircraft and helicopters arriving from across Europe. Local officials warned of homes at risk, while EU civil protection mobilised Swedish, Czech and Dutch planes to help. In France, 650 residents were sent home, and fires spread across Croatia, Spain and Serbia, underscoring Europe’s record‑hot June‑July summer.

Firefighters battle wildfire tearing through Belgian nature reserve

Smoke rising above the High Fens reserve

Smoke could be seen rising above the nature reserve on Friday.

Firefighters battled a wildfire tearing through Belgium’s largest nature reserve on Saturday, the country's worst blaze in recent history.

Residents were ordered to evacuate two nearby villages as the flames consumed a third of the High Fens, with officials warning the fire could reach homes.

Water‑bombing aircraft and helicopters from across Europe were dispatched to aid the effort near the eastern border with Germany.

The blaze was still out of control in the afternoon, with local officials saying they were deploying all available resources to protect homes.

Nicolas Yernaux, a regional spokesperson, called it the largest in recent history and noted the risk to nearby homes, opening a gymnasium as an evacuation shelter.

Weather conditions and rough terrain—bogs, moorland, forests—hampered firefighting; some areas were allowed to burn because they were hard to reach.

Belgium activated the EU civil protection system, drawing two Swedish water‑bombing aircraft, a Czech and a Dutch helicopter to support the fight.

In nearby southwestern France, 650 residents were evacuated as a separate wildfire tore through Landes, while fires also battled across Croatia, Spain and Serbia after a heatwave scoured Europe.

The EU weather monitoring service, Copernicus, confirmed Western Europe experienced its hottest June‑July period on record, highlighting the link to the season’s intense wildfires.