As blazes rage across some European countries, Sweden has employed the use of bombs to put out forest fires on Wednesday. The bombs were dropped in an area that would be too hard and dangerous for firefighters to reach. The fire that has been burning a forest in central Sweden for two weeks has reached an old military firing range that is littered with undetonated explosives, according to The Local Sweden. The pressure from a bomb being dropped into the forest is meant to literally blow the fire away from trees. The fire reaching the bomb-laden firing range proved to be the perfect time to test the theory, fire and rescue team leader Johan Szymanski said in a statement. "The oxygen from the fire can be removed with the help of a bomb, and in this case, it was possible to try it because the fire is at a firing range," Szymanski added. The Swedish Air Force sent two fighter jets to bomb the flames and initial reports claim that once the bomb exploded, it was able to extinguish fires within 100 meters of where it was dropped. Szymanski was satisfied with the result. "Our preliminary assessment right now is that this had a good effect," he said. Over the past weeks, the fires have burned around 62,000 acres. Local authorities said that temperatures have even reached above 80 degrees Fahrenheit inside the Arctic Circle in Sweden. "This is a serious situation and the risk for forest fires is extremely high in the whole country," an official told the Associated Press. Sweden has already received help from other European countries in fighting the blaze, and the European Commission has said that it will send more help to the Nordic country. Christos Stylianides, the European Union's commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management said that "The EU stands by the Swedish government and the Swedish people in their time of need." He then added, "this is solidarity in action. This is what our citizens expect in a Europe that protects." According to a press release from the EU, equipment such as planes, helicopter and vehicles, as well as firefighters, have been sent to Sweden from Italy, France, Germany, Lithuania, Poland and Denmark. Warsaw sent 139 firefighters and 44 vehicles to help fight the growing blaze. This is the largest group to come from all of the volunteering countries, local press reported. So far, many Swedes have had to evacuate due to the flames across the country. However, no deaths or injuries have been reported. Meanwhile, wildfires in Greece have risen a death toll to 85 and injured over 180 people thus far. Authorities pointed out that "there are serious indications of arson" in one of the blazes.<doc-sep>But with temperatures set to soar again, they are in a race against time to get the fires under control.<doc-sep>top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. A heatwave has caused the temperature in Sweden to rise to above 30C, a significant leap from the usual summer measurement of 23C. This heatwave has been unprecedented and the usually mild country has been under-equipped to deal with such highs. Sweden issued a plea for international help following the increased scale of fire outbreak. Countries in the EU and EEA responded and have made resources available. In a statement, the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre said seven planes, 7seven helicopters, 60 vehicles and 340 firefighting staff had been offered to Sweden via Italy, France, Germany, Lithuania, Denmark, Portugal, Poland and Austria. Italy, France and Norway have also sent aircraft to supplement Sweden's helicopters in fighting the flames. “The idea of European solidarity is of particular importance to us. And of course we offer help and support wherever we can,” said Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Boris Pistorius Authorities warned that with temperatures unlikely to dip below 30C in the coming days, there is an “extreme risk” of more wildfires breaking out. Wildfires have swept though Sweden in recent days The intense temperatures have caused the worst drought in 74 years for the country, with farmers struggling to grow crops and feed cattle. Thousands of residents have been evacuated from Gavleborg, Jamtland and Dalarna counties. The largest fire in Fagelsjo-Lillasen in Jamtland and covers more than 2,500 hectares. In total 25,000 hectares worth of forest has been burned, according to estimates from Swedish authorities. On Friday, there were more than 50 fires blazing in forests. This map shows where fires were burning in Sweden on Friday morning. Sweden wildfires: Aerial pictures show wildfires rage through Sweden Wed, July 18, 2018 The fire is one of 40 wildfires in Sweden due to the dry weather and heatwave. Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 13 Aerial image shows the Forest fires burning near Ljusdal, Sweden<doc-sep>Sweden: Armed Forces fighter jets drop bombs on forest fire top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. A spate of hot weather gripping Sweden has caused the temperature to rise to above 30C, a significant leap from the usual summer measurement of 23C. The heatwave has been unprecedented and the usually cool country has been struggling to cope with the increase in temperatures. The Swedish Armed Forces dispatched two Jas 39 Gripen fighter to drop the devices as a last resort. They dropped bombs in the hope that pressure from the blast would help contain the blaze. Fighter Jets were seen dropping bombs from heights of 30,0000 metres, hoping that the pressure from the devices would put out the fire. Speaking of the campaign, Fire and rescue team leader Johan Szymanski said in a statement: "Our preliminary assessment right now is that this had a good effect." Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet said one of the bombs dropped managed to extinguish fires up to 100 metres from the target. More than 40 wildfires were burning across Sweden on Wednesday with more counties enforcing total fire bans. A combined area of 25,000 hectares has been burnt by the ferocious fires, including 2,500 hectares in Dalarna, 8,500 in Gävleborg, 500 in Västernorrland and 8,500 in Jämtland. Wildfires are continuing to ravage Sweden for the 13th consecutive day<doc-sep>
Wildfires continue to rip through Sweden Heatwave conditions across Sweden have caused conditions perfect for fires to spark, drying out grass and forest floors. Temperatures have reached highs of 30C in the Scandinavian country, which is unusually hot as summer temperatures usually average 23C. Sweden had issued a plea for international help in controlling the wildfires, as the scale of the fires increased day by day. In a statement, the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre said seven planes, seven helicopters, 60 vehicles and 340 firefighting staff had been offered to Sweden from Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Denmark, Portugal and Austria. Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Boris Pistorius said: “The idea of European solidarity is of particular importance to us. And of course, we offer help and support wherever we can.” One such asset used in fighting the fires in Sweden is the Italian CL-415 Canadair “water bomber” aircraft which is designed specifically for firefighting and carries up to 6,140 litres of water. This water can then be mixed with a chemical foam if needed to help further extinguish flames. A danger Sweden faces is that the route of the fire is passing through an ex-military weapons testing range which contains unexploded artillery. Sweden: Armed Forces fighter jets drop bombs on forest fire However, as fires grow, the Swedish Air Force has taken an unusual decision to help extinguish flames. Two Gripen fighter planes have been deployed toward the front line of forest fires, carrying bombs. Their task is to drop the laser-guided bombs on the blaze, in the hopes of helping firefighters contain the spreading flames. The pressure from a bomb can extinguish a blaze, just as a strong puff of air when candles are blown out. Bombs were dropped to remove oxygen feeding the fires A Gripon fighter jet similar to this was used to drop the bombs “The oxygen from the fire can be removed with the help of a bomb and in this case, it was possible to try it, because the fire is at a firing range,” fire and rescue team leader Johan Szymanski said. Loaded with GBU-49 laser-and-GPS guided bombs, the Gripen fighters flew up to 3,000m. The target was honed in on precisely over the front of the fire, and the bombs were dropped. The bombs lock on to the target to guarantee accuracy with speeds of up to 500km/h. Sweden wildfires: Aerial pictures show wildfires rage through Sweden Wed, July 18, 2018 The fire is one of 40 wildfires in Sweden due to the dry weather and heatwave. Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 13 Aerial image shows the Forest fires burning near Ljusdal, Sweden