Campers evacuated in large forest fire in Drenthe town
Four campsites were evacuated due to a large forest fire in the Drenthe town of Wateren on Tuesday afternoon. Around 75 hectares of heathland burned down. The fire department got the fire under control around 9:00 p.m., but some 150 firefighters worked throughout the night to extinguish it completely, RTL Nieuws reports
The smoke of the fire could be seen in a wide area. Fire brigades from Groningen and Gelderland, among others, were also deployed to support the local brigade. Farmers helped fight the blaze by keeping the soil around it wet with slurry tankers. The air force supported the firefighters with helicopters.
According to the local safety office, the fire spread quickly due to the drought and strong wind. Emergency workers had a hard time doing their work at first, due to a large number of people who came to watch, according to the broadcaster.
