Fires in state-owned Polish forests on the up
PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk
26.07.2018 07:55
The number of fires in state-owned forests in Poland has shot up this year, officials have said.
Firefighters and volunteers try to extinguish a wildfire raging in Verori, southern Greece, earlier this week. Photo: EPA/VASSILIS PSOMAS
From January to June, almost 6,000 fires have broken out in state forests, while the figure for the whole of 2017 was nearly 3,600, the PAP news agency reported.
More than a third of all blazes are caused by unextinguished cigarettes, matches, barbecues and camp fires, the agency said, citing statistics from Poland’s state forests manager.
Meanwhile, dozens of people have been killed after wildfires swept through parts of Greece in recent days. Among them were two Poles, a woman and her son, who were on a boat which sank as they were fleeing flames, according to reports.
Some 140 Polish firefighters and over 40 fire engines have travelled to Sweden help tackle forest fires there as a part of an international effort.
(pk)
Source: PAP