Russian forest fires darken the skies in southern Finland

Fires unlikely to die down soon; authorities hampered by cash shortages and poor coordination

print this

The smoke from Russian forest fires reached the southern coast of Finland on Monday morning. The sky was grey, obscuring visibility as far away as in Helsinki, and a strong acrid smell of smoke was detectable over large areas in the Greater Helsinki area.
      On Monday, at least 28 separate forest fires were raging near the Finnish border in the Leningrad Region, burning down close to 300 hectares of forest.
      The total area of forests burned down in the region this summer is almost 6,000 hectares. On the other hand, only the fires that have occurred in the federal forests have been recorded. The forests located in residential areas and military zones are not included in the official statistics.
     
In Russian Karelia, some 4,500 hectares of forests have gone up in flames this summer, while in the Kola Peninsula, forest fires have destroyed some 1,200 hectares. Moreover, a 600-ha area of forest was burned down in one fire in Karelia's Kostamukhsa, up against the Finnish border.
     
The total area of forests burned down across Russia this summer is already as much as two million hectares, having grown sevenfold from 2005. The total number of wildfires this summer is more than 23,000.
      In the local authorities' view, most of the fires are due to negligence. Berry and mushroom pickers are moving in forests, leaving behind cigarette butts or smouldering campfires, which can lead to wildfires in tinder-dry terrain.
     
Wildfires are not likely to end soon, while the money allocated for fire-fighting in the budget has already been used up, according to the authorities. The Russian forest administration reports that another EUR six million would be required for fire-fighting in the entire country.
      Another factor hampering the fire-fighting work in Russia is the fact that the fire-fighting services of the federal forests, military zones, and residential areas are all managed by different organisations.
     
The wind is expected to continue blowing from the east for the time being, which may result in more smoke coming across the border to Southern and Eastern Finland.
      The fires in Russia can be seen in elevated concentrations of fine particles in Southern and South-Eastern Finland, even though no alarmingly high air quality readings have been reported in the Greater Helsinki area so far. Similar conditions were experienced in the spring.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Smoke from Russian forest fires again reaches Finland (2.8.2006)
  Helsinki´s air quality remains poor for nine straight days (4.5.2006)

Links:
  The Leningrad Region and Finland
  Helsinki Metropolitan Area Council (YTV)
  City of Helsinki Environment Centre

Helsingin Sanomat