Mourning the loss of the High Fenns in Belgium

Belgium lost this week the majority of one its finest nature reserves.  On Friday the 14th, after months of drought and heat, our high wetlands and peat caught fire. And the fire escalated quickly to our 2nd biggest fire in history. Only a worse fire ever happened in 1911. 

The High Fenns, so close to our weekendhouse, such a precious place to unwind and enjoy space...a rare quality in Belgium.   As an addict I doom scrolled online to all local news: city updates, be-alerts, governor updates, fire departments, extra news departments, ... The first days the fire just expanded in the high winds, despite international air help arriving from Sweden, Netherlands, Germany. 

It's so devestating to realise that precious ecosystems are forever lost, peatlands burnt up to 7meter deep that take 1mm to grow per year.  Our lovely place. The pictures below are no more. (although the last ones at the German border probably are intact)

I believe Brackvenn is still intact, pictures below

The fire is now under control after a week, with new access roads constructed and woods partially cut so land material can circle the fire and access it from all sides. But peat continues to burn underground, the extinguishing of this fire will continue for weeks and months.

It happened before in 2011 on a smaller scale. But then the fire didn't get as deep as it happened in Spring and the ground wasn't as dry as now. I know from then (and also what I see in Canada after forest fires) that nature is resilient. I am confident that the area will be green again after winter, with grasses growing back quickly. But grasses are not the ecosystem that make these boglands. It's the mosses and heat plants and marshes that need to build up again. Not sure if that will manage. 


It was devastating this week to see all the news reporters on such familiar places, some in thick smoke with face masks on a bridge where all the volunteering farmers from the wide area cmae to pump water.  from Robertville lake. They were only 1,5km from us. 

We had to adjust our vacation plans, didn't drive up when we intended as it doesn't make sense to be locked up with doors and windows closed against the smoke. After a couple of days it improved with showers finally arriving and wind from the west, blowing the smoke into Germany instead.