Belgian High Fens Wildfire Spreads East Into Pine Forest
The wildfire in Belgium has burned an estimated 12 square miles and remains out of control in areas inaccessible to ground crews.
2 reports on this incident · first at Aug 18, 2026, 2:29 a.m. ET
Fire size and containment change through the day and the earliest figures are the least certain. Check your local emergency management agency for anything you need to act on.
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An estimated 30 square kilometers (about 12 square miles) have burned in the Belgian High Fens wildfire, according to reporting by nypost.com. Although favorable winds helped prevent the fire from growing significantly, it blazed out of control after spreading east into a pine forest.
According to the Wallonia region, as reported by nypost.com, the wildfire remained out of control in areas that are inaccessible to ground crews.
Authorities have not yet reported any containment figure for this fire, and none appears in the available reporting. That absence is not a statement that containment stands at zero; it means no such figure is on the record so far.
Earlier reports
Aug 18, 2026, 2:29 a.m. ETFirst report
Wildfire in Belgium's High Fens Has Burned an Estimated 12 Square Miles
A wildfire in Belgium's High Fens region has burned an estimated 30 square kilometers (about 12 square miles), according to reporting by the New York Post.
The fire remained out of control in areas inaccessible to ground crews, the Wallonia region said, as reported by the New York Post.
No containment figure has been reported for this fire. That is not the same as containment being zero — it means no percentage has been put on the record in the reporting available.
The New York Post reported that the fire did not significantly grow, due in part to favorable winds, but that it blazed out of control after spreading east into a pine forest.
The New York Post report cited here does not give a date for when the fire started.
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Revision history
- Version 118 Aug 2026, 06:58current
First published.
- Version 118 Aug 2026, 06:29current
First published.
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