THE HAGUE: A huge blaze erupted overnight in a Dutch nature reserve destroying a large swathe of vegetation with dozens of firefighters still battling to douse the flames on Friday morning. “The fire destroyed 21 hectares (50 acres) of the Deurnese Peel reserve and a 150 firefighters have been mobilized,” spokesman for the eastern Brabant fire service Ton Driessen told Agence France-Presse. The alarm was first raised late Thursday around 2212 GMT when residents spotted huge flames, spreading rapidly through woodlands as well as igniting areas of grasslands and peat. The blaze came six days after huge forest fires were sparked in Portugal over the weekend, which have killed more than 60 people and left 254 hurt. Another blaze in a Dutch reserve on the northern island of Terschelling also erupted overnight, but was swiftly brought under control.

Source: Manila Times June 23, 2017 10:07 UTC