Rain and southerly wind on Tuesday cleared away smoke from Russian forest fires which had been hanging over parts of Finland for about two weeks.
Before the rain that began in Helsinki at about noon, the small particle content in the air in the city had risen to up to four times as high as normal. The rain also brought relief to a drought that has starved crops and nature of water. However, experts say that much more rain is needed before plants can completely recover.
Meanwhile, firefighters in the north of Sweden have been working to put out a massive forest fire in the province of Norrbotten. The blaze is believed to be the largest in Swedish history.
Officials in Finland believe that Russian officials do not have a very good overall picture of the wildfires in northwest Russia and their impact. In Russia, fighting forest fires is the primary responsibility of firefighting units of forestry regions, and ordinary fire brigades become involved only when the flames start to threaten inhabited areas.
Russia’s Ministry of Emergencies reported on Tuesday that the forest fires in the Karelian Isthmus had been put out. The South Karelia Rescue Centre on the Finnish side was unable to confirm the report.
Officials in Sweden report that firefighters in the north of the country have managed to bring the largest forest fire in that country’s history under control. On Tuesday, 60 firefighters and seven military helicopters battled the blaze near the city of Boden.
The fire has destroyed more than 800 hectares of forest. The area is very sparsely populated, and 40 inhabitants have been evacuated.
The long-awaited rain that came down in Southern Finland on Tuesday cleared the air of dust and smoke. However, experts say that much more rain is needed before nature can recover from the summer’s drought.
More than 100 millimetres of rain would be needed to replenish the water supply of trees, many of which have been dropping their leaves prematurely.
Dry grassland could turn green in about two weeks if forecasts of more showers in the coming days are borne out.
