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RIGA: Fires raging for five days have destroyed more than 800ha of western Latvia, authorities said Sunday, saying that extreme temperatures continue to hamper efforts firefighters. 257ha of scrubland and almost 400ha of peat bog
A peat fire in the Curonian region erupted last Tuesday and spread to the east, with smoke in the seaside resort of Jurmala, more than 100 km from the neighboring region of Riga. "Peat fires burn down, but when the wind brings oxygen, fires can escalate into flames," Latvian spokesman Inta Palkavniece told reporters: "The main goal is to prevent the spread of fires ".
Fire departments stated on their website that firefighting efforts would be "long and troublesome".
"The weather is unfavorable for the fight against fires and will remain so over the next few days," the statement added.
The area of Courland is sparsely populated, with few roads and many inaccessible areas because of its vast swamps.
The inhabitants of Stikli, a village evacuated because of the fire, started to return home after the change of wind. "Students at Stikli School for Disabled Children will not come back until the situation is completely under control," he added.
Meteorologists warned that high temperatures persist and no rain is expected for the next two weeks.
Latvia has experienced a severe drought in recent months, prompting authorities to declare a natural disaster in the agricultural sector.
Yet, other European countries have not offered to do so yet.
But other countries in Europe have been battling an unusually long heat wave for the last few weeks. In 1965, in Sweden, where temperatures are highest for a century, farmers even send their animals to butchery because there is no more hay at their disposal to feed them.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Poland has requested financial assistance to the EU after more than 91,000 farms have been affected by an unusual spring drought.
In Germany, which suffered a drought in May and June, agricultural producers warned that this year's harvest would be down from 20 to 50%. – AFP
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