When the fire drew near
The fire started on Friday, August 14, in the Fagne des Deux-Séries, within the Baelen area. Due to exceptional drought, withered vegetation, shifting winds, and inaccessible terrain, the fire spread rapidly.
The fire was clearly visible from Athena Le Perron. The fire front moved toward Sourbrodt and Waimes, while smoke grew thicker over our fully booked campsite.
Some guests left immediately, others over the following days. When air quality worsened, we decided to close the site. Ultimately, Le Perron was closed for a week. A place normally known for peace and fresh air suddenly became unhealthy and inaccessible.
In the middle of the summer season, the campsite fell completely silent. That contrast will stay with us for a long time.
A fire that smoldered for weeks
The fire affected some 3,400 hectares of forest, heathland, and peat, becoming the largest natural fire in recent Belgian history. Areas including Fagne des Deux-Séries, Grande Fagne, and Fagne Wallonne were hit, along with several nature reserves toward the German border.
The largest natural fire in recent Belgian history.
After visible flames disappeared, the fire continued to burn underground. In peat and heath soils, fire can spread via roots and organic material, reigniting days or weeks later. Local flare-ups occurred in late August and early September.
This makes peat fires especially hard to control. On the surface, danger may seem gone, while smoldering hotspots remain underground. Emergency services and land managers stayed active in the area for weeks.
How could a wet area become so flammable?
In the DS Vandaag podcast by De Standaard, a key question was asked: how could one of Belgium’s wettest areas burn so severely? The hot summer played a major role but did not explain everything.
Large parts were historically drained for peat extraction, forestry, and other human activities.
Much of the High Fens was once drained for peat harvesting, forestry, and other uses, causing local loss of the peat’s natural sponge effect.
Extended drought, high temperatures, and wind combined in a landscape that retains less water than usual greatly increase fire risk.
Parts of the High Fens have been undergoing rewetting by blocking drainage ditches for more than thirty years. Initial findings show that many restored zones resisted the fire better.
The fire demonstrates why nature restoration is not only vital for protecting rare plants and animals but also for strengthening the resilience of the entire landscape.
Damage varies across the area
In surveyed sections of the Fagne Wallonne, primarily the aboveground vegetation burned, while the underlying peat layer was largely preserved. In some places, peat moss survived and peat cotton began to regrow.
Elsewhere, damage was much worse. In degraded heath zones, soil burned down to the clay layer. Heath vegetation, insects, wildlife shelters, and recreational infrastructure were lost.
The first green shoots don't yet mean full ecological recovery. Grasses and birches can quickly colonize burned areas, displacing typical vegetation. Further research will determine where nature can recover spontaneously and where rewetting or active management remains necessary.
A thousand years of nature in one meter of peat
The High Fens make up Belgium’s largest raised bog and heathland, and represent an important remnant of this landscape type in Western Europe.
Raised bog develops very slowly. In wet, oxygen-poor soils, dead plant material decomposes only partially. Peat grows layer by layer, typically just about one millimeter per year. A meter-thick peat deposit can hold approximately a thousand years of natural history.
Peat retains large volumes of water and gradually releases it to streams and rivers. It helps buffer both droughts and sudden peak flows. Additionally, peat stores carbon and forms a unique habitat for special plants, insects, and birds.
A unique habitat for special plants, insects, and birds.
After the July 2021 floods and the August 2026 fire, it’s clear once more that healthy peat provides natural protection. It supports biodiversity and safeguards downstream villages and towns.
The black grouse as an indicator
The black grouse is one of the most special inhabitants of the High Fens. It represents Belgium’s last population of this rare bird. The nearly black males, recognized by their red eyebrows and lyre-shaped tail, gather in spring on communal lekking sites. The brown-striped females are much less conspicuous, nesting safely.
The black grouse requires a varied landscape with open heath, peat, low vegetation, and ample cover. The chicks depend on insects and other small invertebrates during their first weeks. The combined need for space, food, quiet, and shelter has become increasingly scarce.
By 2017, only two males and one female were recorded in the High Fens. To prevent extinction in Belgium, the University of Liège and the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences launched a reinforcement program. Black grouse from Sweden were introduced to strengthen the population genetically and numerically.
Still, the program remains highly vulnerable. About a quarter of birds released between 2018 and 2024 survived the first year. The leading cause of death was predation.
This rare bird depends on this specific, varied landscape.
The full impact of the fire on the black grouse is not yet known. Based on available GPS data from tagged birds, researchers estimate at least half the population survived the fire.
The greatest effects may only appear later. Surviving birds might be forced into smaller, unburned patches where they face more disturbance from walkers and dogs, and are closer to forest edges where predation risks increase.
If the species can sustain itself again, it indicates the landscape is sufficiently healthy, open, quiet, and food-rich. The black grouse is a gauge for the recovery of the whole peat and heath area.
A broader European warning
The major event in the High Fens stands alone. This summer, other countries including France, Spain, Portugal, and Greece also faced severe wildfires. These often result directly or indirectly from human activities.
Severe natural fires arise directly or indirectly from human actions.
Climate change may not cause the initial spark but increases fire risk. Higher temperatures dry out soil and vegetation faster, heatwaves intensify, and the fire season lengthens. Small fires can spread quickly and are harder to control.
In the High Fens, the historic drainage worsened the effects. The altered water balance made an area usually retaining water flammable during an exceptionally dry summer.
The first signs of recovery
Among the burned plains, early signs of recovery are now visible. Peat cotton is resprouting, peat moss survived in parts, and animals are returning to spared areas within and around the site.
Especially the previously restored and rewetted zones seem to have held up relatively well. This is an important lesson: nature restoration doesn’t offer absolute protection but can make the difference between surface damage and the loss of an entire ecosystem.
Carefully assess where nature recovers spontaneously and where active intervention is needed.
In coming years, careful evaluation is required to determine where nature can recover on its own and where active management remains necessary. Meanwhile, effective warning systems, suitable firefighting equipment, evacuation plans, and cross-border cooperation are essential.
Honoring what remains
Despite all images of fire and burned nature, much of the High Fens remained outside the fire zone. Only affected and immediate adjacent areas remain closed for safety and restoration reasons. Visitors respecting local signage can still explore the region responsibly.
The Ardennes and Warche Valley maintain their remarkable mix of forests, rivers, valleys, rocks, meadows, heaths, and peatlands. This does not lessen the fire’s severity but highlights the value of the conserved landscape.
Authorities need ongoing investment in nature restoration, water management, climate policy, and fire prevention. Visitors must respect access restrictions and exercise caution with cigarettes, barbecues, machinery, and other possible ignition sources.
Explore the region responsibly.
Nature is not an unchanging backdrop. It is shaped by our decisions on water management, forestry, agriculture, recreation, and conservation. Walking, cycling, and camping can bring people closer to nature but require respect for vulnerable zones and caution with fire.
For Athena Le Perron, the High Fens, Ardennes, and Warche Valley embody what visitors seek here: peace, space, and connection with nature. The fire revealed the landscape’s vulnerability. We must not only restore what was lost but also better protect what remains.
