Sweden battles worst wildfires in decades

World
Europe

00:53

Sweden has been battling some of the worst wildfires in decades, prompting villages to be evacuated, while Italy, Norway and other European partners have been sending in firefighting aircraft and personnel to help combat the flames.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said on Friday that his government was working "every minute" to get necessary resources to the hundreds of firefighters and emergency workers fighting some 50 blazes.

These are mostly in central and western Sweden but also in the north, above the Arctic Circle.

Italy and Norway sent in assistance – including water-bombing planes, helicopters and staff – and Denmark, Germany, France and Lithuania also pledged to contribute after Sweden appealed to the European Union for more outside help.

Soldiers, coastguards and civilian groups have also been helping firefighters to contain the fires.

Temperatures in Sweden and its Nordic neighbors Finland and Norway reached over 32 degrees Celsius this week, making the region's brush and forests highly flammable.

On Thursday, authorities in Sweden said registered wildfires were affecting more than 20,000 hectares. In a normal year, the country would expect wildfires to affect about 2,000 hectares in total, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) said on its website.

The fires even forced the evacuation of several villages in the worst hit municipality of Ljusdal in southern-central Sweden this week.

There have been no reports of deaths or injuries so far.

Source(s): AP ,Reuters