“Last night, the fire brigade remained permanently on standby,” says Wouters this morning on Radio 1. “Fifty people were active on the site. They could act immediately if there was a plume of smoke or if a new development took place. They spent the night at the Groot Schietveld in Brecht. ”
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On Friday morning around 9.15 am, the fire started on the nature reserve of approximately 1,500 hectares, which extends over Brasschaat, Brecht and Wuustwezel. The fire raged mainly on the territory of Brecht, on the border with Gooreind (Wuustwezel). “The fire started after a military shooting exercise,” said Mayor of Brecht, Sven Deckers. There arose a large plume of smoke which was visible from miles away. The fire brigade was there with all their might and soon received help from the Ministry of Defense, which owns the domain.
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There were no injuries, but the firefighters had to proceed with extreme caution as the wind sometimes changes. A 4×4 ambulance was available preventively to be able to offer quickly if necessary. The ecological damage is very great. No less than 500 hectares of nature reserve have gone up in smoke. “Many rare birds such as the nightjar and the wood lark have their nests on the bottom. Those broods are lost anyway ”, says Jop Hermans, Antwerpse Kempen regional manager of the Nature and Forest Agency.
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The drought of the past week and a half plays a role a role in the question of how the fire could break out. According to fire brigade captain Ronny Van Riel, the pipe straw between the grass is very dry, which makes it easier to catch fire. “What is the real cause of the fire? Target practice was in progress. With a probability bordering on great certainty, this was the basis. ”
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There is a lack of resources and manpower due to years of pouncing on defense, the union says. “The state of the army is very bad at the moment. Normally, when the emergency services can no longer make it, the army comes to the rescue. Now it is the other way around: the army can no longer cope and so the emergency services have to come and help. ” Even fire-fighting helicopters from the Netherlands had to be used.
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