Firefighters from Northern and South-West Limburg spent all of Friday night extinguishing remnants of a massive wildfire at the military domain Kamp Beverlo.
The blaze, which affected 20 hectares of land, broke out around 16:30 on Friday and rapidly spread due to strong winds. Crews struggled for hours to bring the fire under control, finally succeeding by around 21:00 before beginning the overnight extinguishing efforts.
Using drones and thermal imaging cameras, firefighters identified remaining hotspots during the night and deployed forest fire trucks to suppress them, said Leopoldsburg Mayor Marleen Kauffmann. On Saturday, four firefighting teams remained on-site to monitor the situation closely.
The cause of the fire remains unknown. Mayor Kauffmann confirmed that there was no military activity in the area, adding that they suspect the fire may have been due to natural causes.
Nearby residents experienced smoke and odour nuisance and were advised to keep windows and doors shut.
Following the fire, Belgium’s Defence Ministry elevated the fire risk warning for Kamp Beverlo and all other northern military domains to code red. Further south, Kamp Elsenborn was placed on code yellow, while Kamp Koning Albert in Marche-en-Famenne is under code orange.
