Air Force Again Helps Extinguish Deurnese Peel Fire | Inland

Helicopters can pour 10,000 liters of water over the fire site at once. More than 100 hectares of land have been destroyed. The fire is not yet under control. The area is inaccessible, according to the fire brigade, making it difficult to extinguish.

The fire in the Meinweg National Park in central Limburg has also largely destroyed some 170 hectares of forest and heathland. The fire is under control but is still burning, says a spokesman for the fire brigade.

Recurrence risk

Subsequent cooling can take many hours. It is possible to relight the fire, given the strong breeze that blows. That also happened on Monday. After the fire broke out around 1 p.m., it appeared to be under control at 6 p.m. An hour and a half later, the flames rekindled as a result of sparks from the previous fire.

Early Tuesday morning, the emergency services cleared the Elfenmeer camp and the Venhof riding school. The driving stable is located in the forest, not far from the fire scene. Later the evacuation was lifted and people and animals were able to return. Police blocked access roads to the Meinweg and kept tourists from disasters at bay. Herkenbosch residents had to keep windows and doors closed due to the large amount of smoke.

A police helicopter flies over the Meinweg to discover new hot spots in time. The fire brigade has also deployed a drone.

German help

The fire was fought by dozens of fire and water trucks from the German and Limburg fire brigades. His efforts prevented the fire from spreading to neighboring German coniferous forests.

As the wind turns, part of the Heide industrial estate between Herkenbosch and Roermond is covered in smoke. According to the fire brigade, companies in this area and the neighboring prison are not at risk.

Great forest fire also in Brabant

Emergency services evacuated the Wellenshof call center in Liessel, Brabant on Monday night in connection with smoke from a large fire in neighboring Deurnese Peel. The 24 residents were transferred to the Land van Horne care center in Weert. Several residents may have been infected with the corona virus. That is why they are transported in a special taxi, announced the municipality of Deurne. The other residents go to Weert by regular taxi.

A large part of south-east Brabant was under the smoke of a large peat fire in the Deurnese Peel nature reserve on Monday night. Emergency services have asked people in the region to close windows and doors and turn off ventilation through various NL Alerts.

The fire broke out on Monday around 12:45 for an unknown cause and has since spread through strong winds. At least 100 hectares were victims of the flames. The fire began to lessen in intensity around 7:30 p.m., in part due to the use of a Defense Chinook firefighting helicopter. You can throw 10,000 liters of water from a water bag in one go. The use of the helicopter is called by the fire brigade “a significant addition to our effectiveness.”

Due to the fire, Liessel, Asten, Someren, Eindhoven and Eersel, among others, are under smoke. Residents of the affected region can find more information on the website of the municipality of Deurne. This is always provided with current information.

To camp

Five mobile homes have been burned down. The fire brigade was able to prevent the fire from spreading to adjacent caravans.

According to firefighters, one person was injured and transferred to the hospital by ambulance. The fire brigade further reports that an emergency ordinance is applied in the area and that the camp was therefore probably closed. It’s a camping on the Wittebergweg.

The strong wind allowed the fire to spread rapidly and the fire was accompanied by a considerable development of smoke. Therefore, it is advisable to close the windows and doors and stay away from smoke.

The firemaster’s signal could be given at 2.30 p.m., but the fire brigade is still busy with post-fire work for a few hours.

How the fire may have started is still unknown.

Also risk in Belgium

The risk of fire in nature reserves in the Flemish provinces of Antwerp and Limburg is extremely high. Due to persistent drought and a predicted strong east wind, the code red is in effect, the Forest and Nature Agency reported Monday.

It mainly refers to pine forests and heather soils. Nature reserves cannot be closed for practical reasons, but the service advises against entering them. In the event of a fire, the fire brigade deploys additional equipment and labor. Fire towers are manned when necessary.

The agency provides additional advice for those who still want to get into nature: stay on the edge of the forest or the nature reserve, do not leave shiny material around, not only throw cigarettes and continue to respect the crown’s measures, like keeping enough distance and move.