The Nederlands Instituut Publieke Veiligheid(NIPV) reported that drought conditions triggered a massive spike in wildfires during 2025 compared to the previous two years. Last year, the fire service intervened in 846 wildfires, a sharp increase from the 177 incidents recorded in 2024 and 314 in 2023.
Weather conditions driving the increase
According to the NIPV, a specific combination of weather patterns likely caused this surge. While heavy rainfall in 2024 limited the number of fires that year, it also accelerated the growth of trees and plants. Consequently, this lush vegetation served as extra fuel when a dry spring arrived in 2025, creating the perfect conditions for a high volume of incidents.
Current risks and regional warnings
Due to persistent dry conditions, the fire service recently raised the wildfire risk to the highest level for the North Holland-North and Kennemerland safety regions. These parched environments currently face a heightened probability of new fires breaking out. So far this year, authorities have received 114 reports of potential wildfires, although the NIPV has not yet confirmed the final number of verified natural fires among these calls.
@ anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
