A group of 20 Dutch firefighters have travelled to the province of Galicia in northern Spain to learn how to combat forest fires without using water, and other techniques.
According to local Galician newspaper La Voz de Galicia, the Dutch will learn “through personal experience about the complexities of forest fires”.
High temperatures over longer periods of time demand better techniques to combat fires in the Netherlands, wildfire expert Edwin Kok told broadcaster NOS.
“We have seen this year that it is becoming more difficult to contain fires by conventional means. Using water alone is not working when fires are intense,” Kok said.
In Spain, the risk of fires is lowered by removing vegetation or setting controlled fires to deprive the main fire of combustible material.
Kok said Dutch firefighters must be taught about the techniques, particularly because wildfires are often in the vicinity of urban areas. “In April, a wildfire in Ede swallowed up a kilometre of land within half an hour, ultimately stopping at a military base. A small fire can have a big impact here,” Kok said.
The 20 firefighters will be working with their Spanish colleagues in the city of Ourense for a month. Another Dutch contingent will go to Spain in August.
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