Extremely busy at fire brigades: “More than 900 calls, shortage of workers”

As of two o’clock this afternoon, calls for storm damage are pouring in to the fire brigade. The Westhoek emergency zone is the first to receive storm Eunice. “We are now at 900 calls via 1722. It will be very difficult to finish all of them today, there are still 580 open. We are calling on people to solve the problems via roofers, we don’t have enough manpower,” says Kristof Louagie of the Westhoek Fire Department.

No height interventions

Road signs blown over, temporary signage, broken glass walls and fallen branches. The fire brigade has their hands full. The Fluvia fire brigade has already received more than 800 calls. “Hundreds more are planned.”

At fire department zone 1, they have decided not to allow the fire service to intervene at height. “Due to the strong wind, it is too dangerous to remove the ladder truck.”