Large wildfire in Flanders after army exercise

Since yesterday, a large wildfire has been raging in Brecht, Flanders, after a shooting exercise by the army. According to latest reports, about 1000 hectares of land have been destroyed. The fire is not yet under control.

As a precaution, 400 residents and a campsite were evacuated yesterday. They had to spend the night elsewhere. For the time being it is not safe for them to return, mayor Sven Deckers told the VRT.

The black smoke can be seen in the wider area, as far as Antwerp, which is 30 kilometers away. Fire brigades throughout Flanders have stepped in to extinguish the fire.

Dutch aid

Because the Belgian army itself does not have fire-fighting helicopters, the Dutch army has been helping since yesterday with two Chinook helicopters that try to extinguish the fire from the air, the GARDEN.

There is a lot of criticism of the Belgian army that held an exercise in the nature reserve. Normally there is an army fire truck ready in the training area, but yesterday it was under maintenance. This allowed the fire to spread quickly.

An anonymous source close to the army command speaks of an unfortunate circumstance. “That car could have provided the first quick intervention.”

But even if that car had been there, there was no one to work with it. The only two employees who were authorized to work with the fire extinguisher have been retired for at least five years, VRT writes.

–