An unusual number of forest fires in Northern europe

A warm February and the heat wave in the east has contributed to the large number of forest and land fires that have affected the Uk. So far this year it's on the 96 fires with a size of 25 hectares or larger. It is more than the 79 wildfires that occurred throughout the extremely hot and dry in 2018, according to the New Scientist.

Only during the easter weekend fought over 100 firefighters with forest and land fires in several parts of the country, including West Yorkshire, Cornwall, Dorset, Derbyshire, northern Ireland, the Peak District and Wales, according to the national emergency services the National Fire Chiefs ' Council (NFCC). Even the scottish highlands have been affected.

and suggest a new pattern, "says the NFCC's general manager Paul Hedley:

" It happened last year, and it happens in the year shows that it no longer is about wildfires occur during a season, but it's done all year, " he says to New Scientist.

other countries in northern Europe are affected by droughts and wildfires, despite the fact that it is unusually early in the year for the nordic forest fires.

In Poland, fires in april has been more than in previous years, and in southern and western Finland, forestry and gräsbrandsvarningar issued, writes yle.fi.

Emergency services in Nassenheide, Germany, on Monday. Photo: Julian Stuehle/dpa

in 148 houses in Sokndal in Rogalands municipality been allowed to return home after a large area ravaged by a forest fire in recent days, according to NRK. So far, over 30 square kilometers of land burned and the fire is put out is in progress. The emergency services also warns that the wind can get the fire to flare up again.

The strong wind has spread the fires and the fire department had to extinguish the fire with the help of helicopters. In Østfolds county, high winds felled power lines that have started fires. In the southern Trøndelangs county has a cottage burned down.

In the spring constitute the dry fjolårsgräset a fire hazard, but in the year have increased risk due to a long dry winter and a dry spring.

have the number of days with heat waves increased from 5.3 to 13.2 in the last few years. According to klimatforskaren Thomas Smith at the London School of Economics is terrängbränderna and the increasingly drier and warmer weather a sign of climate change.

"I would say that the statistics suggest that we are already experiencing climate change and that it has led to an increased risk of terrängbrand," he says to New Scientist, adding that in the last two years have been the worst for the british forest fires as he can remember.

so Far this year has more than 17 hectares of land burned, which is almost as much as the years 2018 and 2011.

the Uk is now hoping that the weekend's promised wet weather to reduce the risk of fire.