Europe Unites To Help Sweden Conquer Terrible Forest Fires, And That’s The Friendship We Need
For the past few weeks, Sweden has been experiencing an intense heatwave. Temperatures have reached over 32 C throughout the Nordic region and there has been no substantial rain for weeks, which has resulted in disaster. All across the country, many forest fires began to blaze.
As Sweden struggled to battle some of the worst wildfires the country has ever experienced, other European countries decided to lend a helping hand. Italy and France joined the battle with water bombing planes, Lithuania and Germany sent over their firefighting helicopters. Poland and Denmark sent firefighters and vehicles. Austria, Portugal, Norway and other countries also offered support.
The raging fires have already claimed hundreds of hectares of forest. The Swedish Forestry Agency has estimated that $67 million kronor worth of damage has been caused by the fires, with around 2 million square meters of forest destroyed. So Swedes couldn’t be happier when the help arrived. People gathered in the streets to wave at the firefighters to express their gratitude.
Hopefully, with all the support Sweden received the raging fires will soon be extinguished!
For the past few months, Sweden has been experiencing an intense heatwave
Image credits: inivildmarken
Temperatures have reached over 32 C throughout the Nordic region and there has been no substantial rain for weeks, which has resulted in disaster
Image credits: eu_echo
All across the country, many forest fires began to blaze
Image credits: Storstockholms brandförsvar
As Sweden struggled to battle wildfires, other European countries decided to lend a helping hand
Poland sent 139 firefighters and 44 vehicles
Image credits: n_luks
People gathered in the streets to wave at the firefighters to express their gratitude
Image credits: PolandMOI
Other countries joined the battle with water bombing planes and firefighting helicopters
Image credits: eu_echo
The Swedish Forestry Agency has estimated that $67 million worth of damage
Around 2 million square meters of forest is already destroyed
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There already are some offers and or active help from Italy, Macedonia, Spain, Croatia, Turkey and Germany https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/07/24/world/europe/ap-eu-greece-forest-fire-the-latest.html
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It is not just the past weeks, it has been the wormest ever here in Sweden for the past 3 months, with extremely little rain. Just some days ago, we had seventy fires going on... It is extremely dry. We are so grateful for all the help. And a BIG thank you to Norway who also helps, without being in the EU, but they help anyway, THANK YOU Norway!!!
Usually here in Sweden we have more rain in the summer then we have sun. This year we got a lot more sun then we are used to but little rain. As a Swede I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the people from other countries coming to help us..
It's amazing how in times of actual emergency, people remember the important s**t and help each other. Nobody cares who you vote for if your house in on fire. Also, the top photo is breathtaking
Yes, it is very breathtaking. Sad, but beautiful
Load More Replies... Hubby is up there fighting fires with his ff collegaues, I am horrified when he tells me how it is. (Swedish readers and those who can stand google translate I wrote down a bit of it here https://www.facebook.com/brandisfrun/photos/a.267231940567189.1073741828.267164140573969/267299950560388/?type=3&theater ) It is so unbelivably big, not always a raging blaze but always advancing, being beaten back, advancing again.. . If the fires was in one place, it would cover I am so grateful they are able to help us! (Just hope Sweden can afford to pay the bill for all the european firefighters afterwards..)
Aaaand there was a lost word.. Fires would cover Stockholm was the intended end of that sentece, sorry about that. Pic from one of his collegaues who didnt want photocred. front1-5b5...76e640.jpg 
As a Kenyan (Africa), I usually find this stories weird. This place is hot throughout the year and at times unbearable. Funny thing we have never experienced forest fires. I would like to know what causes these forest fires there. How the heat makes the forests burn.
When it is always hot, the vegetation adapts. Typically, you will have savannahs, with little metarial to burn, or rain forrest, if it is hot AND humid. In nothern Europe, in cold-temperate climate, the woods will contain immense ammounts of carbon (i.e. fuel for a fire). If it is then hot and dry for an extended time, most humidity is removed. Then a little spark will light a fire, and when it is windy that fire quickly spreads. Imagine it the other way arround: if Kenya would see four weeks with -20 degrees C and a lot of snow, consequences would be catastrophic. It really is about weather extremes that does not fit with the typical climate of a region.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but 2,000,000 square meters is less than 500 acres. Is this an enormous area of wildfire in Sweden? There was more wildfire in Wisconsin last year.
Who ever changed the Numbers from ha to m2 didn't know what they were doing. They missed two zeroes. We don't use m2 for those sizes, it has been expressed as 20 000 ha, which equals 200 000 000 m2.
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Surely it is more than 2 million square meters. That equals 2 square kilometers
There already are some offers and or active help from Italy, Macedonia, Spain, Croatia, Turkey and Germany https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/07/24/world/europe/ap-eu-greece-forest-fire-the-latest.html
Load More Replies... It is not just the past weeks, it has been the wormest ever here in Sweden for the past 3 months, with extremely little rain. Just some days ago, we had seventy fires going on... It is extremely dry. We are so grateful for all the help. And a BIG thank you to Norway who also helps, without being in the EU, but they help anyway, THANK YOU Norway!!!
Usually here in Sweden we have more rain in the summer then we have sun. This year we got a lot more sun then we are used to but little rain. As a Swede I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the people from other countries coming to help us..
It's amazing how in times of actual emergency, people remember the important s**t and help each other. Nobody cares who you vote for if your house in on fire. Also, the top photo is breathtaking
Yes, it is very breathtaking. Sad, but beautiful
Load More Replies... Hubby is up there fighting fires with his ff collegaues, I am horrified when he tells me how it is. (Swedish readers and those who can stand google translate I wrote down a bit of it here https://www.facebook.com/brandisfrun/photos/a.267231940567189.1073741828.267164140573969/267299950560388/?type=3&theater ) It is so unbelivably big, not always a raging blaze but always advancing, being beaten back, advancing again.. . If the fires was in one place, it would cover I am so grateful they are able to help us! (Just hope Sweden can afford to pay the bill for all the european firefighters afterwards..)
Aaaand there was a lost word.. Fires would cover Stockholm was the intended end of that sentece, sorry about that. Pic from one of his collegaues who didnt want photocred. front1-5b5...76e640.jpg
As a Kenyan (Africa), I usually find this stories weird. This place is hot throughout the year and at times unbearable. Funny thing we have never experienced forest fires. I would like to know what causes these forest fires there. How the heat makes the forests burn.
When it is always hot, the vegetation adapts. Typically, you will have savannahs, with little metarial to burn, or rain forrest, if it is hot AND humid. In nothern Europe, in cold-temperate climate, the woods will contain immense ammounts of carbon (i.e. fuel for a fire). If it is then hot and dry for an extended time, most humidity is removed. Then a little spark will light a fire, and when it is windy that fire quickly spreads. Imagine it the other way arround: if Kenya would see four weeks with -20 degrees C and a lot of snow, consequences would be catastrophic. It really is about weather extremes that does not fit with the typical climate of a region.
Load More Replies... Correct me if I'm wrong, but 2,000,000 square meters is less than 500 acres. Is this an enormous area of wildfire in Sweden? There was more wildfire in Wisconsin last year.
Who ever changed the Numbers from ha to m2 didn't know what they were doing. They missed two zeroes. We don't use m2 for those sizes, it has been expressed as 20 000 ha, which equals 200 000 000 m2.
Load More Replies... Surely it is more than 2 million square meters. That equals 2 square kilometers
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