Forest fires in Sweden: several places are evacuated. Helicopters and planes from several countries are fighting the flames.

– The situation of fires in Sweden is now very serious, said Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven at a press conference Thursday in Gävleborg.

– We have 15 uncontrolled fires and four in the region, said Löfven.

Thursday afternoon, a total of 49 fires occur in Sweden, according to SVT.

Several villages in the counties of Gävleborg, Dalarna and Jämtland are now evacuated. Härjedalen, Älvdalen and Ljusdal are particularly affected.

Vessels emptied for persons

In Härjedalen and Dalarna, respectively 60 and 40 residences were evacuated, while 120 people were evacuated in Hälsingland. In addition, about thirty people have been ordered to evacuate the village of Finneby, according to Sveriges Radio.

The Municipality of Ljusdal has established temporary housing for people between 70 and 90 people who have left their homes in the city of Kårböle.

The village is threatened by three-way traffic, writes Aftonbladet. Several other settlements were evacuated from night to Thursday, including the municipality of Gällö and Bräcke in Jämtland County.

At 2 pm on Thursday, a Crisis Information message from the Swedish authorities revealed that another settlement should be evacuated as a result of the fire. This applies to Huskölen in the municipality of Ljusdal.

Kårböle is now completely empty. The horror scenario is that the flames must extinguish the entire village. The Ljusdal fire zone has increased twice more in one day and now has 100,000 goals. The front of fire is 55 kilometers, reports the Swedish radio.

The worst fire since the 1950s

With the total area on fire in Sweden now, it is the worst fire that the country has experienced since the 1950s. It confirms the Swedish Social Security Directorate and preparation (MSB) over Swedish radio.

He also surpassed the Västmanland fire in 2014. Then he went with 140,000 forest goals.

The areas of Gävleborg, Jämtland, Dalarna and Norrbotten, which burn on Thursday morning, total more than 200,000 goals.

The forest worth 600 million Swedish crowns has been lost here in this fire, according to the live broadcast of SVT on fire.

Granada exploded

The fire in Trängslet north of Älvdalen was partially raging on a military range. Night to Thursday exploded a grenade inside the fire zone, reports Swedish radio.

The government is criticized for its poor preparation

The opposition strongly criticizes preparation for forest fires in Sweden. Several parties want to convene a special meeting of the Swedish Defense Committee.

– 70% of Sweden is forest. Mikael Oscarsson in the Christian Democrats

The party is one of four center-right parties criticizing the government's management of the 40 wildfires on Thursday. This morning, he raises in Sweden

At the press conference, Löfven stressed that the country is in an extraordinary situation with little rain and a long period of heat.

– This increases the vulnerability of the country. We need to increase our preparedness to prepare for extreme weather conditions, he said. But he added that the focus is mainly on extinguishing the fire.

Some of the critics have arisen why Sweden does not have specially equipped firefighters like Italy. To this end, Löfven suggested that it is best to exchange resources across national borders.

– These planes would have been standing on the hill for long periods of time. The planes coming in now are more professional, Löfven said.

– Sweden is in crisis

The Christian Democrats want the country to be prepared for the Riksdag, and Justice Minister Morgan Johansson to be summoned to a special meeting of the Swedish Defense Committee. The same goes for the Minister of Defense, Peter Hultqvist

– Sweden is in a crisis. This is very disturbing. The government has not made many statements in connection with the situation, so I think it is appropriate that the Defense Committee meet, "said defense spokesman Daniel Backström in the statement. Party from the Center.L Germany set up with three helicopters and Lithuania installs a firefly.

According to Aftonbladet, France has pledged to contribute two more planes.

– Cooperation with the l 39; EU and neighboring countries is a central element of the extinction efforts, Prime Minister Löfven told the press conference.

Norway lent ten helicopters to fight forest fires. , Trøndelag volunteer firefighters attend, from the neighboring country to the south, 22 Danish firemen will be rescued on Thursday.