Dry weather threatens to put dampener on Easter bonfires
Traditional Easter bonfires may have to be cancelled because the dry weather has increased the risk of wildfires in the south of the country.
The entire country has been placed on “extra alert” by monitoring website natuurbrandrisico.nl after a dry spell lasting nearly two months.
Last Friday firefighters in Ede spent all day tackling a heath fire that was started by a a stray grenade during a military training exercise on the Eder Heide.
Weather forecasters say no rain is likely to fall for the rest of this week, raising the question of whether the ground will still be too dry for bonfires to be lit on Easter Sunday, April 20.
Bonfires are a traditional feature of Easter celebrations in Catholic communities in the south of the Netherlands, but are also lit in other regions. Klazienaveen, on the German border in Drenthe, and De Fryske Marren, in Friesland, have already cancelled their Easter fires because of safety concerns.
In Bronckhorst, in the Achterhoek region of Gelderland, bonfires are prohibited under a “phase 2” alert level, which is currently in force.
Dilemma for organisers
A spokesman for the municipality said: “Whether or not an Easter bonfire can go ahead depends on the location. It only affects the lighting of the Easter fire; other activities will still be able to go ahead.”
Organisers are wrestling with the dilemma of whether to cancel the events or build the bonfires and hope for rain, which could leave them with a hefty bill if they have to dismantle the structures.
Dinand Wullink, who organises the annual bonfire in Velswijk, said he was “crossing his heart” this weekend that the event, which usually attracts thousands of spectators, could go ahead.
Velswijk had to cancel its bonfire in 2019 because of drought, Wullink told De Gelderlander. “It was a big job, because all the wood had to be taken away and shredded,” he said.
Organisers also had to take security measures to stop disgruntled locals setting the woodpiles on fire before they were removed, such as putting up fences and arranging fire watch patrols.
Barry Gepken, organiser of the bonfire in the Drenthe village of Erica, said his team had initially cancelled the bonfire, but changed their mind at the last minute, despite the risk that it may not be able to go ahead.
“We started building yesterday,” he told Hart van Nederland on Monday, the day before the fire service gives its official advice. “If it’s still not allowed, we’re hoping we’ll be able to light the fire later in the spring – maybe on King’s Day.”
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