Heath fire destroys hundreds of hectares of nature reserve in Antwerp Province

A fire has destroyed a large area of the Grote Schietveld nature reserve at Brecht, in Antwerp Province. The fire that was still raging when this article was written, had already destroyed around 300 hectares of the Grote Schietveld by around 4pm on Friday. Smoke and the stench from the blaze can be seen and smelled as far away as Antwerp and even in the Waasland area of East Flanders. The fire broke out after the army had been at the Grote Schietveld on shooting practice. The authorities in Antwerp Province have brought into force the Provincial Disaster Plan.