To tackle this historic fire of nearly 3,000 hectares, almost 500 responders and more than 120 vehicles were mobilised. Firefighters, police, Defence, DNF, farmers, volunteers, Wallonia, the federal level and Europe: everyone worked together. There were no victims and no homes were affected. It was time to act, and the response rose to the occasion.
An extraordinary fire, a response to match
The fire spread under exceptional conditions: intense drought, heatwave temperatures, severely dried-out soil and waterways, particularly flammable vegetation, and shifting winds that made the fire's progress difficult to predict.
The scale is historic: nearly 3,000 hectares went up in flames. Belgium is not an isolated case. This summer, drought and abnormally high temperatures fuelled major fires in Spain, Portugal, Greece, France and other European countries.
A functional chain of command:
Faced with a fire of exceptional scale, the public response was swift and coordinated. From the moment the fire broke out, local authorities and emergency services were mobilised. Given the growing scale of the disaster, the provincial phase was quickly activated
Although the federal phase did not need to be activated, Interior Minister Bernard Quintin immediately ensured the mobilisation of available federal resources and the activation of European aid. Wallonia, for its part, acted within its powers to support operations, mobilise the DNF, secure the nature park and facilitate access to necessary resources.
This coordination made it possible to mobilise the emergency response zones, mayors, the governor, local and federal police, Civil Protection, Defence, the Department of Nature and Forests, regional services, farmers, volunteers and European partners.
2. Exceptional work by firefighters and all mobilised services:
Faced with an unprecedented fire and particularly difficult conditions, firefighters carried out exceptional work.
At the height of operations, nearly 500 people and more than 120 vehicles were deployed on the ground: Belgian and German firefighters, Civil Protection, police forces, Defence, DNF officers, medical and psychosocial services, local authorities, farmers and volunteers.
Federal police and local police zones tirelessly secured the perimeter, supported evacuations, patrolled and managed traffic. Aerial and technological resources complemented the work of ground teams: helicopters fitted with bambi buckets, drones and water-spraying vehicles enabling resupply and moistening of the most sensitive areas.
The result speaks for itself: despite a fire affecting around 3,000 hectares, emergency services prevented any casualties or the fire spreading to inhabited areas.
The MR pays tribute to all firefighters, professional and volunteer alike, as well as all responders involved. Special recognition goes to the farmers who put their machines, expertise and knowledge of the terrain at the service of the community, as well as to the volunteers and mobilised citizens.
3. The federal response led by Bernard Quintin:
Interior Minister Bernard Quintin oversaw the crisis response and the mobilisation of resources under federal authority.
The resources deployed include in particular:
- More than 300 local and federal police officers mobilised since the fire began.
- Two federal police helicopters fitted with bambi buckets, carrying out more than 420 water drops of around 700 litres each.
- Two drone teams providing aerial footage to firefighters.
- 9,000-litre water tanker vehicles to keep sensitive areas moist and resupply fire engines.
The first federal resources were deployed from the outset of the fire, and the activation of the European mechanism made it possible to quickly obtain additional capacity.
4. Tangible European solidarity
civil protection. Under the coordination of MR European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, Europe immediately supplemented Belgian resources on the ground.
Swedish water-bomber aircraft, as well as Dutch, German, Norwegian and Czech helicopters, were deployed in support of firefighters.
This European solidarity is not an admission of weakness: when a disaster exceeds a country's ordinary capacity, Europe swiftly provides specialised resources. No country should have to face forest fires of this scale alone.
5. The Walloon executive was fully mobilised
Operational crisis management was first organised at local and provincial level. The Region, for its part, acted within its powers to remove obstacles, mobilise its services and protect the territory. From Saturday onwards, Anne-Catherine Dalcq, Minister for Agriculture and Forests, and Adrien Dolimont, Minister-President, went to the site:
- Anne-Catherine Dalcq mobilised officers from the Department of Nature and Forests, whose expertise in the terrain is indispensable in the Hautes Fagnes, and took measures to close the nature park to guarantee public safety.
- Adrien Dolimont ensured that urgent needs falling under Wallonia's remit received a swift response, particularly regarding access to water and streamlining operations.
- The Walloon executive also facilitated access to the necessary water resources, particularly around the Gileppe and Vesdre dams, and maintained direct contact with the mayors concerned.
Wallonia issued clear guidelines on public health, safety and access to the affected area. It also has a suitable intervention framework: the Regional Crisis Management Plan, adopted in May 2025, provides in particular for a response to forest fires, while SPW ARNE applies specific procedures for fires in natural areas, such as those implemented in the Hautes Fagnes.
6. Preparing for the aftermath:
The mobilisation does not stop with fighting the flames. Support must also be provided to people and businesses suffering the consequences of the disaster. MR ministers are taking action:
- Eléonore Simonet, Minister for SMEs, has announced that small businesses whose activity was affected by the fire will be able to make use of the bridging allowance scheme.
- Anne-Catherine Dalcq is examining the arrangements for compensating farmers who offered their help in fighting the fire.
To prevent such a scenario happening again, Walloon Climate Minister Cécile Neven has announced the introduction of some twenty concrete measures by the end of the year. These measures will draw on climate vulnerability maps to adapt land-use planning, water management, soil protection and planning regulations.
Minister Quintin also wants to put two new proposals on the federal government's table to secure the future of Civil Protection.
7. Secured funding for emergency response zones
Wallonia is continuing a structural reform of the funding of emergency response zones. The aim is clear: to gradually transfer the share currently borne by municipalities to the provinces, in order to durably ease municipal budgets.
In 2026, this effort represents around €16 million in municipal charges taken over by the provinces. By 2030, this will amount to around €112 million, including indexation. Municipalities will then no longer have to fund emergency response zones through their own contribution.
To claim that the MR is 'defunding' the zones while the municipal burden is being progressively removed is therefore intellectually dishonest. The MR is working to provide funding that is more predictable, fairer and less burdensome for municipalities.
The timeline is clear and gradual: the provinces will take over 15% of the municipal contribution in 2026, 30% in 2027, 50% in 2028, 80% in 2029 and 100% in 2030. By that point, municipalities will no longer need to fund emergency response zones through their own contribution.
8. Funding for fire protection services is increasing
Belgium spent around €1.16 billion on fire protection services in 2023. This public spending, which falls under various levels of government, had increased compared to previous years. This does not mean everything is settled or that no additional needs exist. Risks are evolving, particularly due to periods of drought and more intense vegetation fires. But it is false to claim that these services are underfunded.
The question of staffing levels must be seriously examined, based on a full assessment after the fire. Belgium has 18,500 firefighters, a third of whom are professionals and two-thirds volunteers. Several zones report recruitment difficulties and are calling for increased staffing. If reinforcements prove necessary, they must be made at the level of the emergency response zones. The federal level only intervenes through the grant.
In the Fagnes, no staff shortage hindered or delayed operations. Solidarity between emergency response zones made it possible to deploy the necessary reinforcements and respond to an exceptional crisis. Since the 2011 fire in the Fagnes, emergency services have strengthened their procedures, developed specialised training and invested in suitable equipment. Forest fire training is now complete for firefighters; its extension to non-commissioned officers and officers is ongoing, with the aim of full rollout in the province of Liège by 2027.
9. Strengthening Belgian aerial capacity
Belgium has its own helicopter capabilities. Three federal police helicopters fitted with bambi buckets were available as part of the deployment.
Belgium also activated the European Civil Protection Mechanism, which quickly reinforced the aerial deployment with specialised aircraft: two Dutch Chinooks, two Swedish water-bomber aircraft, as well as German, Norwegian and Czech helicopter reinforcements. This European pooling capacity is precisely designed to deal with an exceptional disaster that exceeds the ordinary resources of a single state.
In addition, Defence is gradually rebuilding its aerial capacity:
- 20 H145M helicopters are currently being delivered. They will be able to contribute to firefighting, but crews still need to be trained before this capacity is fully operational.
- Defence also plans to acquire heavy Chinook helicopters, capable of carrying much larger volumes of water than light helicopters. Bringing them into service, however, requires time: purchase, delivery, crew training and organising maintenance.
- Belgium's A400Ms are transport aircraft, not water bombers. France has only been testing a system for dropping retardant from an A400M since July 2026. This capability is therefore not yet available in Belgium, and Belgian A400Ms could not be immediately deployed in the Fagnes. If the French experiment proves successful, Belgium could learn from it and consider developing similar capability.
- Finally, the aircraft observed at Zwartberg are not Belgian state aircraft: they are privately operated planes, run by a company and leased to other countries. Presenting them as a Belgian fleet that the government supposedly allowed to leave is therefore misleading.
Ecolo: plenty of lessons, very little action
Ecolo is today lecturing on prevention and demanding more aerial resources. Yet when it was in office, Céline Tellier refused the permit for the Plate Taille seaplane base in Froidchapelle, a private facility, with no regional subsidy, which would have enabled the training of seaplane pilots and firefighting exercises.
By blocking this permit, Ecolo deprived Wallonia of a concrete tool for training and preparation against forest fires.
Lecturing on ecology after the fact is easy; preparing for disasters requires decisions, not ideology and slogans.