Scores of firefighters in central Sweden are battling a wildfire that has burned forested land and killed at least one person. Sources: The New Zealand Herald, Euronews
The record breaking forest fire is one of the biggest in modern times and has burnt between 5000 and 10,000 hectares of land, it has been declared a national emergency.
The fire has been burning for five days
Helicopters are being used to pluck people trapped by the flames to safety.
Emergency services say hard winds have been hampering efforts to control the blaze and the fire was described as “out of control” by firefighters.
Officials say about 1000 people have been evacuated from villages and towns threatened by the fire in Vastmanland province, about 140 kilometers (90 miles) northwest of Stockholm.
Italy and France have sent firefighting planes to help contain the blaze, one of the biggest forest fires in Sweden in recent decades.
It’s unclear what sparked the fire but authorities say unusually hot weather and dry conditions are fueling the flames.
