The wildfire in the Deurnese Peel (2020): 5 lessons

What happened

The fire broke out in the dry spring of 2020 and spread quickly across a large part of the nature reserve. In the end, much of the roughly one thousand hectares went up in flames, the largest wildfire in the Netherlands in decades.

Because it was a peat area, the fire smouldered on underground for weeks, even when the flames above ground appeared to be under control. Residents of the villages around the area had to leave their homes. In the end, thousands of firefighters (many of them volunteers) were deployed, supported by firefighting helicopters and the armed forces. The Nederlands Instituut Publieke Veiligheid investigated the fire and the response.

Lesson 1: Warn local residents in good time and concretely

A wildfire with a lot of smoke calls for quick, clear warnings. The advised action is often twofold: in the case of smoke, close windows and doors and switch off the ventilation, and if fire approaches, prepare for evacuation.

Use NL-Alert and the safety region's and municipalities' own channels. State concretely which area is affected, what people should do and where they can find the latest situation. Smoke travels far; people outside the immediate fire area also need information.

Lesson 2: Arrange evacuation and shelter (population care)

When local residents have to leave their homes, population care comes into play: shelter, care and information for those affected.

• Make clear who the evacuation applies to and from when.
• Arrange shelter locations and consider vulnerable people, livestock and pets.
• Provide information about what people should bring and where they can go.
• Be clear about when people can return; that too is part of population care.

Lesson 3: A peat fire lasts longer than it seems

What was unusual and difficult about this fire was that the peat kept smouldering underground. While everything appeared to be under control above ground, the fire could flare up again elsewhere. That calls for stamina and for communication that manages expectations well.

Explain why a wildfire in peat is not over in a day, and keep communicating for as long as the situation continues. Premature reports that it is over undermine trust when the fire returns.

Lesson 4: Large-scale deployment calls for coordination

Thousands of firefighters, helicopters, the armed forces, land managers and municipalities: a large wildfire is an enormous operation. All that deployment has to be coordinated, with a shared picture of where the fire is, what the wind is doing and which areas are under threat.

So scale up in good time (GRIP) and work from a joint crisis picture. This keeps all the parties working from the same picture and stops them from working at cross purposes.

Lesson 5: Think about health, nature and the aftermath

Smoke is not only a nuisance but can also cause health complaints. So work together with the GGD and provide honest information about air quality and what people can do.

And here too: after the fire, the aftermath begins. Damage, restoration of nature, and evaluating and improving the response. A wildfire is, moreover, a recurring risk; dry springs make such fires more likely. Record the lessons and use them to prepare for the next season.

How CrisisRadar helps

CrisisRadar brings the safety region, municipalities, land managers and the GGD together in a shared crisis picture. You record facts with their source, issue a warning or shelter advice within minutes, arrange the shelter of evacuees and publish the current status. Afterwards, the platform produces an evaluation report for the aftermath and for preparing for a future season.

Would you like to see how a wildfire unfolds step by step in the platform? Then take a look at the accompanying practical scenario.

Stappenplan

Veelgestelde vragen

Why does a wildfire in peat last so long?

In a peat area the fire smoulders on underground, even when it appears to be under control above ground. As a result the fire can flare up again elsewhere and a wildfire can continue for weeks. That calls for stamina and good expectation management in communication.

What is the advised action during a wildfire with smoke?

Often twofold: in the case of smoke, close windows and doors and switch off the ventilation, and if fire approaches, prepare for evacuation. The safety region determines what applies to which area and deploys NL-Alert if necessary.

Who does what during a large wildfire?

The safety region scales up (GRIP) and leads the response, together with the fire service, land managers, municipalities (population care and shelter), the GGD (health and air quality) and sometimes the armed forces. A shared crisis picture keeps all those parties aligned.