Wildfire breaks out in Limburg, train services halted

A large wildfire is burning in the Rosmolen nature reserve at Oostrum in northern Limburg, and has stopped trains on the line between Nijmegen and Venray.

The fire broke out at 11.45am. The Limburg-Noord safety region said it had scaled up its response because of the drought and asked people to stay away from the area and leave room for emergency services. Large numbers of crews and vehicles are at the scene.

Fire brigades from several provinces and regions have been sent in, regional broadcaster L1 reported. Crews are trying to stop the fire crossing the nearby railway line.

The blaze is burning in the treetops, which allows it to spread quickly and makes it difficult to put out.

Rail operator NS expects the line between Nijmegen and Venray to stay closed until 6pm.

The Netherlands is in an official water shortage after weeks without significant rain. Last week the fire service called in help from Germany, France and Belgium to tackle wildfires elsewhere in the country.