Verviers adds wildfire vigilance to planning after High Fens blaze

Updated 3 September 2026 — VERVIERS. The City of Verviers said on Thursday, 3 September, that it will remain vigilant about wildfire risk when preparing future public-space developments, including the rehabilitation of the wooded Parc des Récollets, according to reporting by La DH and L’Avenir. No new closure, redesign or emergency measure for the park had been formally announced at the time of publication.

The statement follows the exceptional wildfire in the High Fens, where operations were still continuing on Wednesday. The governor of Liège province reported that crews had contained a significant flare-up on 2 September with ground teams and a federal police helicopter. The governor’s office said parts of the affected zone remained sensitive, the N68 would stay closed between Belle-Croix and Eupen at least through Friday, and public access to the burned perimeter remained prohibited.

That prolonged emergency explains the renewed attention to wooded urban sites. Wallonia’s government said on 28 August that the High Fens fire had affected more than 3,300 hectares and announced work on a restoration plan alongside a broader climate-adaptation strategy. The regional authorities said the first 2026-2030 adaptation plan, containing around 20 priority measures, would be submitted to the Walloon government before the end of the year.

Parc des Récollets is already the subject of a substantial regeneration programme. Verviers’ 2025-2030 strategic plan describes a four-hectare project intended to improve safety, stabilise existing structures and add leisure facilities while preserving biodiversity. The city says the scheme is supported by the European Regional Development Fund, Wallonia and municipal funding. An official procurement notice covers the appointment of a landscape and planning design team.

The immediate issue is therefore how fire prevention will be incorporated before detailed plans are fixed. The available public documents do not yet identify new firebreaks, emergency-water points, vegetation-management rules or evacuation arrangements for the park. They also do not establish that the site faces the same conditions as the peatland landscape of the High Fens.

For residents, the practical outcome remains unchanged: the Parc des Récollets redevelopment continues, but its design will now be examined against a sharper regional awareness of vegetation fires. The next concrete signals will come from the selected design team, planning documents and any safety conditions imposed by the city or emergency services.