Forest fires in central Sweden continue to rage according to reports in The Local. On Monday afternoon last week an official with the local fire and rescue service confirmed that the largest of the blazes has escaped their control.
There are approximately 160 fire fighters working to control one fire located 350 kilometres north of Stockholm. The fire, according to Lennart Juhlin, is spread over an area of 1,000 hectares.
“It is completely out of control. We have eight helicopters working to put it out and are using bulldozers to cut it off, but nothing has worked so far,” he said.
The fires are occurring in a sparsely populated area and as a result, it has caused no injuries thus far. According to Juhlin, only three homes have had to be evacuated.
Fire fighters have faced several difficulties in fighting the blazes, perhaps the most significant being the dry weather and the uneven terrain.
“The winds have also been blowing in all directions … Now the wind is blowing in a north-westerly direction. If that continues, it will be a good thing,” he said.
A second, smaller blaze is being attended to by 40 fire fighters. The fire currently covers 100 hectares and is largely under control.