The umpteenth wildfire broke out this afternoon in a nature reserve near Heemskerk. It didn’t take long for the fire department to scale up to ‘big fire’. The fire is now under control, but how afraid should we be of a fire in nature and what does such a ‘big fire’ entail?
The fire in the nature reserve north of Wijk aan Zee was under control around 6.15 p.m., a spokesman for the Kennemerland safety region reports to NH. Not long after the report was scaled up to ‘major fire’, even before it was clear what exactly was going on.
At the signal ‘major fire’, the fire service ensures that there are enough people to extinguish the fire, but also that there is enough equipment and water on site. That also happened this afternoon in Heemskerk. According to the spokesperson, this has to do with strict precautions.
Extra alert
“We are extra alert as soon as a wildfire breaks out. The entire region is then in the ‘highest phase’, there is a great risk that the fire will spread because nature is dry.” That doesn’t just have something to do with the fact that it’s summer now. “We are not talking about a season. Nature is much more dry.”
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What should you do in case of a wildfire?
- Quickly flee to a public road, a large paved area or the built-up area.
- Walk across the fire. That means you don’t walk in front of the fire and don’t walk towards the fire. If the fire comes from the south, don’t walk to the north, but to the east or west. This way you reduce the chance of the fire overtaking you.
- Help other people to a safe place.
- Call 112 and state the location of the fire as precisely as possible. Look in your surroundings for landmarks, such as an ANWB signpost.
Source: Brandweer.nl
The area that was ‘really’ on fire was about a hundred square meters, says the spokesperson. “The fire surface spread quickly. After that there were many smoldering fires and then we are still busy extinguishing for a long time. You don’t know for sure whether it will remain with smoldering fires, a lot of water has to be added to make sure that the fire is really out.”
Greater risk of wildfires
According to the fire department there is a higher risk of a wildfire all year round. This is due to the rising temperature, the stable (northern) wind and a lack of precipitation. As a result, the vegetation and fuels lying on the soil in nature reserves dry out, and there is a chance of a rapid spread of a wildfire.
Climate change – and thus longer periods of drought and rising temperatures – will increase the risk of uncontrollable wildfires.
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According to the spokesman, extra attention is being paid to how the fire service handles the material as efficiently as possible. “That will become increasingly important in the coming period and there will be even more attention for that. Wildfires are becoming more and more common, especially in Kennemerland where there are many nature reserves, so it is certainly important.”
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