Belgium and Germany lift last evacuation orders as High Fens wildfire is contained
Authorities in Belgium and Germany have lifted the last remaining evacuation orders in the border region after firefighters said they had contained the High Fens wildfire. The blaze, which has been burning since Friday, had threatened to spread across the German border before crews gained the upper hand. Officials said the fire should no longer be able to spread, although flare-ups were still being dealt with across the site.
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Crisis cell spokesman Tony Hosmans said the fire had been fully encircled after overnight work by crews in difficult boggy terrain. He said the next objective was to bring the remaining hot spots under control one by one. Regional government spokesperson Stephanie Ernoux described the latest developments as reassuring, while the local governor's office said it was considering whether to scale back the firefighting deployment on the ground.
Villagers in two Belgian hamlets were told they could return home, and the German town of Monschau also issued a notice saying residents near the border could go back. Water-dropping aircraft, which had been grounded by bad weather, resumed operations and were again helping to douse the fire. The blaze had spread over about 3,000 hectares, charring peatland, pine trees and hiking trails in the High Fens area.
The incident is significant because it affected a cross-border region and required coordination between Belgian and German authorities. It also comes during a period of severe wildfire activity across Europe, with dry conditions and a historically hot summer contributing to major fires in several countries. In Belgium, officials said this was the country's largest wildfire in a century, underlining the scale of the emergency.
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The High Fens is a peatland and heath landscape where fire can smoulder underground, making suppression more difficult than in many other environments. Aircraft from Norway, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands were involved in the response, alongside hundreds of firefighters working day and night. Officials said the terrain, including peat bogs and raised wooden boardwalks, complicated operations and helped explain why the blaze took time to bring under control.
The fire broke out for reasons that remain unknown, and officials have warned that even after containment it may take weeks or months of soaking and dousing to prevent reignition. The area was also the site of major fires in 1911 during a similar period of heatwaves, according to officials. What remains unclear is whether the remaining flare-ups will be fully extinguished without further escalation, and how quickly the firefighting presence can be reduced.
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