Military units to be reminded of exercise rules after causing fire on Ede nature reserve

All military units of the Ministry of Defense will be reminded of the rules regarding exercises in natural areas in the case of a drought, a spokesperson for the ministry confirmed after it was reported by De Gelderlander. The reason for this is the large fire on a nature reserve in Ede on Thursday, which was caused by a smoke grande that was being used in a military exercise. “We have told the units to be extra alert in these types of procedures.”

Minister of Defense Ruben Brekelmans had said that the incident was no reason to stop the exercises. “We need to train and be well prepared, especially considering the threats coming our way.”

The Defense is going to investigate what went wrong on Thursday, according to Brekelmans. The VVD minister added that these type of exercises always come with certain risks. “You can never rule that out completely.”

It will now be investigated whether the right procedures were followed, Brekelmans said. They are also looking into ways to reduce the risk of fires in the future. “You want to prevent these types of fires.”

The fire led to the Ede council receiving written questions on Friday. “How is it possible that such exercises are allowed during a period of increased fire risk?" councilor Wesley Glasmacher of Forum voor Democratie asked.

The municipality reported on Friday that around 130 hectares caught fire. Glasmacher stated that the fire had caused considerable damage to nature and caused unrest among the residents of Ede. He wants to know from the council in what way the Ministry of Defense is being held responsible and whether the damage is recovered in any way.