The wildfires in the Hautes Fagnes had burned more than 2,000 hectares by Saturday evening and forced about 600 inhabitants from Waimes and Bütgenbach to leave their homes. A shelter was opened in Malmedy as the fire kept advancing across the plateau.
Nancy Ferroni, a Croix-Rouge spokesperson, said around 40 residents would spend the night at the hall omnisports de Malmedy. The center had 600 places, and most evacuees found refuge with relatives or acquaintances instead of using it.
Malmedy shelter and SISU support
Three SISU experts were already at the shelter in the late afternoon, with two more due to join for the night. That setup covered the people who had no immediate alternative after leaving Waimes and Bütgenbach.
The practical split was clear: most evacuees stayed with family or acquaintances, while the shelter remained open for those without another place to go. That left Malmedy as the fallback point for the night, not a full relocation site.
Kazou camp in Ovifat
The fire also cut short a Kazou camp for children aged 9 to 10. Fifty-three children had started the camp in Ovifat on Friday and were moved temporarily to Wanne, in Trois-Ponts.
The site in Wanne was available only until Monday. The early end to the camp meant the children had already been pulled out of the plateau des Fagnes area before the fire’s spread created a wider evacuation burden.
Philippe and the province of Liège
Philippe spoke with the acting governor of the province of Liège on Saturday evening about the evolution of the fires. The Palais royal said Philippe thanked the rescue services, the Defence, regional farmers and German firefighters who came as reinforcements.
The same evening brought a second warning nearby, as Montjoie asked residents of several hamlets to prepare for a possible evacuation. Ruitzhof, Leyloch, Vennhof, Haus Sonnentau and Plattevenn were included in that alert.
For people already displaced from Waimes and Bütgenbach, the immediate question is whether they can stay with relatives or will need the Malmedy shelter overnight. For families linked to the Kazou camp, the move to Wanne was the stopgap until Monday, when that site was set to close.
