Dutch firefighters to help colleagues fight wildfires in Spain

Dutch firefighters will travel to Spain next week to help their colleagues there fight wildfires in the Galicia region. The first group of 20 Dutch firefighters will depart for Spain next week and will be replaced by another 20 firefighters two weeks later, RTL Nieuws reports.

Galicia is currently not plagued by an alarming number of wildfires. “But given the conditions in southern Europe and the forecasts, you can assume that they will have work to do,” a spokesperson told the broadcaster.

The exchange will help the Dutch fire brigade gain experience in fighting wildfires, while offering support for the Spanish fire brigade. Gaining experience is vital for the Dutch fire brigade because the Netherlands’ climate is expected to resemble that of Southern Europe within 25 years, with the accompanying risks of wildfires, the spokesperson said.

Wildfires are already an increasing problem in the Nehterlands. In the first four months of this year, the fire brigade responded to over 16,000 reports of wildfires.