Maasmechelen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A fire burned 50 hectares (100 football fields) of heathland in Limburg; suspicion of arson. Anna Degraen confirms 4 ignition points. Code Red remains due to extreme dryness.
As VRT News reported, last Thursday, May 22, 2025, a fire caused significant damage to a nature reserve. The fire consumed around 50 hectares of heathland and bushes. The fire moved quickly across the dry land. Firefighters worked hard to control the flames. By Friday, May 23, 2025, authorities began to suspect the fire’s cause was suspicious.
The Limburg public prosecutor’s office has started an investigation. They are trying to find out how the fire started. They mentioned that this is a standard procedure when there are doubts about how a fire began, to gather any possible evidence.
How did the Hoge Kempen Limburg fire destroy 50 hectares?
Anna Degraen from the Limburg public prosecutor’s office said the fire expert found 4 spots where the fire started. He thought that the fire was set on purpose. The investigation is now focused on finding who did it.
Investigators are looking at evidence from the scene, like what might have made the fire burn faster, what witnesses said, and any video recordings. The fire caused a lot of damage to the environment.
Officials mentioned that this harms plants and animals. It will take years to fix the damage.
According to officials, a big fire burned about 50 hectares of heathland, like 100 football fields. Forest rangers say the plants will grow back, but the animals are in trouble.
He mentioned that birds that build nests on the ground, especially those with babies or eggs, are also in danger. The fire destroys their nests quickly. Even though the land will recover, the loss of animals and the damage to the ecosystem can last for years, possibly reducing the variety of life in the area.
Code Red is still in place in Limburg because it’s been dry. Officials mentioned that even though it rained a little last weekend, it wasn’t enough to make the ground and plants wet again. Because of Code Red, people shouldn’t go into the nature areas, and they can’t have fires, like barbecues or campfires, or throw away lit cigarettes.
They said that visitors should stay on the paths and tell the emergency services if they see smoke or fire. In the next few weeks, forest managers will check the burned areas to see how the plants and animals are doing and to plan how to stop fires in the future.
