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Fire truck explodes in Luxembourg while fighting heatwave wildfires

Click to play video: 'Fire truck catches fire while battling a fire and then explodes, adding more fire to the fire that the firetruck was firefighting'
Fire truck catches fire while battling a fire and then explodes, adding more fire to the fire that the firetruck was firefighting
A firetruck battling a blaze in a field near Rue de Hamm, Luxembourg Thursday got a little too close to the flame and went up itself before exploding in dramatic footage released by a local news agency – Jul 25, 2019

A fire truck burst into flames while fighting a blaze in a field near Rue de Hamm, Luxembourg, on Thursday.

In dramatic footage released by a local news agency, the truck can be seen next to firefighters attempting to quell the field fire before ultimately getting engulfed itself. Shortly thereafter, the truck explodes in flame.

Firefighters remained at the scene to put out the fires.

READ MORE: If the world keeps getting warmer, Toronto could feel like Washington, D.C., by 2050: study

The European country that borders Belgium, Germany and France has been dealing with a record-breaking heatwave since Wednesday. Temperatures have ranged between 38 and 40 degrees Celsius.

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The Moselle Valley, as well as the centre and southern border, are set to reach highs of 42 degrees Celsius.

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A few weeks ago, the forested area under historic Vianden’s cable car caught fire, which quickly spread up the hill.

Luckily, local response units had special fire engines able to get close to the fire — but not all natural disaster situations in the country end so well.

READ MORE: Fire in Burnaby neighbourhood leaves family of 3 without a home

Back in May, RTL Today reported that Luxembourg was under serious risk of wildfires due to the heatwave. The hilly terrain also makes it tough for service vehicles to access.

When wildfires spread through the country, the forest grounds burn, making it much more difficult for firefighters to put them out.

Officials therefore have to dig into the ground in order to fully extinguish the flames, essentially rendering helicopters and planes useless in the fight.

meaghan.wray@globalnews.ca

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