128 Fire Incidents Reported in August

According to the data compiled by Chronicle.lu based on reports by the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (Corps grand-ducal d'incendie et de secours - CGDIS), the CGDIS responded to 128 fire incidents in August 2022.

Fire incidents represented more than half (52%) of all incidents in which the CGDIS intervened (245) in August and included five fire-related injuries.

Of the 128 fire incidents, 59 were reported in fields, vegetation, trees, meadows and hedges and firefighters put out four forest fires, one each in Beaufort, Differdange, Harlange and Vianden.

The CGDIS also responded to twelve fire incidents involving vehicles during the month of August, which included seven cars, two tractors, two lorries and one motorcycle. In addition, seventeen fire incidents involving bins and rubbish were reported.

Five people suffered injuries in separate fire incidents during August 2022. Two of these injuries were linked to a fire related to a car accident, two others were related to two separate vegetation fires and one incident involved a flower pot that had caught fire.

Thirteen fire incidents were reported on 9 August - the highest daily number reported in August 2022 - followed by eleven fire incidents on 24 August and ten fires on 3 August.

The monthly average temperature at the Findel Airport meteorological station in August 2022 was 21.5 °C, 3.1 °C above the 1991-2020 average (18.4 °C), data analysed from the national weather portal MeteoLux has shown. The average daily maximum temperatures in August 2022 were also 1.2 °C higher (24.7 °C) than the 1991-2020 average (23.5 °C), making August 2022 generally hotter than the 1991-2020 period. However, the maximum temperature of 34.7 °C recorded on Thursday 4 August 2022 was still lower than the absolute record of 37.9 °C recorded in August 2003.

With only 21.4 l/m2 of precipitation recorded, the month of August 2022 was also drier than the 1991-2020 average rainfall of 71.9 l/m2. The dry conditions were also recorded in terms of 306.5 hours of sunshine in August 2022, lower than the 237.1 hours of average sunshine recorded between 1991 and 2020.

Such hot and dry conditions are known to increase the risk of wildfires. High temperatures and heatwaves across Europe this summer caused several major forest fires and further worsened the drought in several countries. In particular, France, Portugal, Spain and Greece witnessed major wildfires which burned down thousands of hectares, destroyed homes and led to thousands of people being evacuated.