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Weather alert: 'Extremely high risk' of wildfires in parts of Sweden

TT/The Local
TT/The Local - [email protected]
Weather alert: 'Extremely high risk' of wildfires in parts of Sweden
File photo of a firefighting helicopter. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

Sweden’s weather agency warned of an “extreme” risk of forest fires in parts of the country, as helicopters were called in to water bomb a blaze south of Stockholm.

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SMHI on Tuesday warned of a high or very high risk of forest fires in south-eastern Sweden, including areas such as Uppsala, Stockholm, Örebro, Norrköping, Jönköping, Karlskrona and Gotland. Locally, the agency described the risk as “extremely high”.

There’s also a high or very high risk of grass fires in parts of Norrland.

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On Tuesday morning, firefighters used helicopters to drop water on a forest blaze between Hemfosa and Träsksjön in Haninge municipality south of Stockholm.

It was not known how the fire started. Fire crews were called out to fight it on Monday evening, and by noon on Tuesday most of it had been extinguished. No one was injured.

Fire bans are currently in place in large parts of the Blekinge, Kronoberg, Gotland, Västmanland, Stockholm and Uppsala regions.

The bans are issued by county administrative boards and the rules may vary, but a standard fire ban usually means that you are not allowed to light any fires, other than barbecues in your own garden or at a fixed grill site.

You can keep up to date with SMHI’s weather alerts here and fire bans here.

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