Major fire in the Brunssumer Heide: Fire brigade on the border!

Major fire in the Brunssumer Heide: Fire brigade on the border!

A major fire affected the Dutch nature reserve “Brunssumer Heide” on August 21, 2025, reducing an area of ​​around 7.5 hectares to rubble. The Dutch fire brigade was on site with a large contingent to act quickly and fight the flames. Support from Germany was only requested from 10:15 p.m., but fire engines arrived immediately from the neighboring towns of Übach-Palenberg, Geilenkirchen and Gangelt.

When the situation escalated, a shuttle service with fire engines was set up to optimize the firefighting efforts. Later, Wassenberg was also used with an SW2000 for water supply. The cooperation is based on the EMRIC contract, which regulates the exchange between the emergency services of the Euregio Meuse-Rhine. The organization has been active for over 20 years and impressively shows how important cross-border help is in crisis situations. The German mission ended at around 5:30 a.m. the next morning.

Cross-border cooperation in focus

The EMRIC – “Euregio Meuse-Rhine Incidentenbestrijding en Crisisbeheersing”, is an example of cooperation between local authorities in terms of security, fire protection and technical assistance. Foreign aid services in the Euregio can be there more quickly than local services. Partner organizations include, among others, the fire department of the city of Aachen, the public order offices from the Heinsberg district and various institutions from Belgium and the Netherlands. Every year, around 900 ambulances drive across the border to provide quick help, and in around 300 cases the fire departments support each other, which impressively proves how important this cooperation is.

The situation in the Brunssumer Heide has also triggered a new exchange between the countries. A recent event on civil protection highlighted the crucial importance of cooperation across borders. State Secretary Stephan Manke from Lower Saxony emphasized the importance of developing modern disaster protection concepts, especially in view of extreme weather phenomena. North Rhine-Westphalia's State Secretary Dr. Daniela Lesmeister and Monique Vogelzang, Director General of Police and Security Regions in the Netherlands, highlighted the need to strengthen existing contacts.

Preparing for future crises

The aim of the exchange is not only to optimize current disaster protection, but also to strengthen preparation for future crises. A broad workshop program with topics such as geodata, European cooperation and emergency warnings is intended to prepare the emergency services for future challenges. In times like these, when the world is facing a lot of uncertainty, such initiatives are of enormous importance.

In summary, it can be said that the fire in the Brunssumer Heide is not only an example of the speed and effectiveness of the emergency services, but also of the need for close, cross-border cooperation in the area of ​​disaster control. heinsberg-magazin.de, euchio-mr.info, and security-network.com provide further insights into these important topics.