The fire in the Mariapeel nature reserve near the Limburg village of Griendtsveen seems to be under control since Wednesday evening. The fire brigade is extinguishing the fire, which may take a few more days. This reports the Limburg-North safety region. So far, about 40 hectares of the nature reserve has been burned.
The fire was discovered by a bird watcher on Wednesday morning. The fire spread rapidly during the day. A large number of fire-fighting vehicles, several Defense helicopters and a team specialized in fighting wildfires were deployed to extinguish the fire. According to Broadcasting Brabant local residents were urgently advised to leave their homes, but most residents did not seem to see the need for this.
The 42 hectares of nature that were destroyed on Wednesday is a fraction of the 710 hectares of nature that were lost two years ago in the adjacent nature reserve De Deurnsche Peel. The fire then raged for five days and then continued to smolder for another two months. This was the largest wildfire in the Netherlands in recent decades.
Also read: New wildfire creates a sense of déjà vu in the Peel