This is not Martin Heynen's first rodeo. Heynen has launched operations like Monday's forest fire response several times, having been involved in the tornado response in Pétange and in the floods in Echternach. It is not hard to help, in his view, which is why he put out a call on social media the day before. Five vehicles set off from Echternach at 8.15am on Monday morning.
Heynen said the group now had German colleagues who had also responded to the appeal on Facebook and would join them in Prüm, alongside Luxembourgers coming across from the other side of the country.
Four Luxembourg trucks had already headed for Belgium on Sunday, and further assistance is still very much needed.
He said he had heard the previous evening from a Belgian woman living in the affected area, who had told him that the situation is unbelievable and that up there was probably going to be needed, and that anything and everything would be put to good use. On that basis, he added, the local teams would probably be grateful for every extra pair of hands.
Alongside the water tanks, the trucks had also been loaded up with a range of useful supplies for Monday's deployment.
"People had already dropped off drinks and food", Heynen said. The group had brought its own tents, benches and coffee machine, so they could look after themselves for a while. The rest, he added, would have to be sorted out on site. There would certainly be a few nights without sleep, and they would keep looking to see where they could help.
Heynen said he expected the group to spend around three nights in Belgium lending a hand.
