Norway May Seek Help to Fight Forest Blaze
NORWAY: June 16, 2008
OSLO - Norway may seek foreign help to extinguish its biggest forest fire
since World War Two, which has been raging for five days, the government
said on Friday.
The Justice Ministry said it would check whether helicopters or special
planes to drop water on the blaze were available across the Nordic region or
elsewhere in the European Union, of which Norway is not a member.
"The idea is to check if anything is available, then possibly ask for
assistance," a ministry spokeswoman said.
The fire has burned out about 5,000 acres, or 2,000 hectares, near the town
of Arendal, about 260 km (160 miles) southwest of Oslo.
Norwegian media reported smoke had wafted as far as Denmark, some 120 km (75
miles) away across the Skagerrak strait.
The fire broke out after an unusually warm and sunny start to June. No lives
have been lost but holiday houses have been destroyed and dozens of people
evacuated.
Light showers were forecast for southern Norway on Friday but firefighter
Ove Figstad told news agency NTB that "nothing short of a downpour will put
an end to this". (Reporting by Wojciech Moskwa, editing by Mark Trevelyan)
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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