Fire brigades fighting multiple wild fires as hot weather continues in Netherlands

Firefighters fought three fires in the Netherlands on Friday morning as the hot and dry weather continued in the country. A beach tent burned down in Rockanje, a wildfire raged in Brunsummerheide, and a large area of heathland burnt out in Hoge Hexel.

Firefighters are still fighting the fire in a beach tent on Swinsedreef in Rockanje, trying their best to prevent it from spreading to the nearby dunes, AD reports. The fire started around 4:30 a.m. and completely destroyed the catering establishment called Beachclub8. Multiple fire department units are at the scene. They’re using a drone to keep an eye on the hottest parts of the blaze.

The fire in Brunsummerheide started at around 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and had firefighters working through the night. They managed to get the fire under control at around 8:00 a.m. on Friday, but not before it destroyed an area in the nature reserve about the size of a football field, according to 1Limburg. The fire department is staying in the area to keep an eye on the situation.

Flames destroyed over half a hectare of heathland in Hoge Hexel during the early hours of Friday morning, according to RTV Oost. The fire started at around 4:00 a.m. and was likely started by people, if inadvertently, the fire department said. “A fire spontaneously breaking out in a nature reserve in the middle of the night does not seem logical to me,” a spokesperson said to the broadcaster. Firefighters have the fire under control and are mainly focusing on keeping it from spreading.

The combination of drought, heat, and high temperatures has firefighters on high alert throughout the country. Fire departments placed vehicles with water at strategic locations near hard-to-reach nature areas, so they could respond quickly if a fire broke out.

The hot and dry weather will continue in the Netherlands, at least through the weekend. Meteorological institute KNMI has a code yellow heat warning in place for the entire country until 7:00 a.m. on Sunday. Temperatures up to 34 degrees are expected. “Stay hydrated, keep yourself and your home cool,” the meteorological institute said.

Rain and thunderstorms are expected to break the heat somewhat on Monday and Tuesday, but the rain won’t be enough to affect the drought, the meteorologists expect.

With thermometers rising again in the Netherlands this week, the country activated its National Heat Plan to provide more care and attention to vulnerable groups of people. However, that does not go far enough, says Wakker Dier. The animal rights activists think more attention should also be given to farm animals prone to suffering on hot days.

The group looked at some dairy farms across Friesland and found that 71 percent of 5,400 cows on 146 pastures have no access to shade. Another 23 percent had access to some shade, but not enough for all cattle at the location. “Far too many animals are left to their own devices. Plant trees! Protect your animals from heat suffering," said Anne Hilhorst of Wakker Dier in a statement.

The organization said the animals already suffer when temperatures reach 22 degrees. It called on the government to more strictly enforce requirements about shade and the provision of water to farm animals.