Stories from Helden · Netherlands

Firefighters are attempting to extinguish a natural forest fire in the Eldense forest between Helden and Kessel. Despite an active emergency order in the area, the fire department reported signals that people are still entering the woods.

A natural fire is burning in the forests between Helden and Keissel. The extinguishing process is expected to take some time. Emergency services are currently working on extinguishing the remaining embers. A fire spread quickly in parts of Gelderland, prompting an NL-Alert due to smoke. The safety region has not yet determined if the fire was intentionally set. The Ministry of Defence had previously announced scheduled exercises involving cannons and explosives in the area. A forest fire near Helden has caused the closure of the A28 highway between Harde and Weesup. Smoke from the fire is also affecting local air traffic. Firefighting equipment was deployed due to the difficult accessibility of the area. The fire covered an area of approximately 7,000 square meters. The municipality of Peel en Maas has declared a state of emergency. A previous large fire occurred in Weert.

A ground fire has broken out in the forests near Helden. According to the fire department, it is currently a ground fire, meaning the flames have not yet reached the trees. A large area of nature is burning in Helden, near Venlo, in the Limburg province. Firefighters have deployed multiple vehicles to the scene to combat the blaze. A drone team is monitoring the fire from the air to track the development of hotspots. The affected area is approximately the size of a large football field. The affected area covers approximately 7,000 square meters. Emergency services deployed a large response due to the risk of rapid spread caused by drought conditions. The safety region reported the fire broke out early this morning and spread primarily across the ground rather than through the treetops. Authorities expect extinguishing efforts to continue for several more hours.