In the summer of 2018, large areas of land in Eastern Norway were completely fallow. Several farmers had to send animals to slaughter when animal fodder and grain production disappeared. The extremely dry conditions also created a peak year for heather, grass and forest fires. Now the emergency manager at DSB fears that 2023 could be just as bad – or worse. – Yes, unfortunately. The conditions are right for us to have a summer similar to 2018 or worse, says Dag Rune Omland. He is section manager for preparedness and emergency notification in the department for fire and rescue in DSB. There is a great risk of forest fires in Norway and in the last few days alone, a double-digit number of fires have broken out. Figures from the Norwegian Meteorological Institute show that they have issued 128 forest fire warnings so far this year. It is the highest in five years. MAJOR FIRE: In Samnanger in Vestland, it took over a day before the fire brigade was able to put down the flames completely. Photo: 110 West Fears worse fires within a few years In recent years, we have witnessed large and powerful forest fires in several places in Norway. In Flatanger in Trøndelag in 2014, 65 buildings burned down. The biggest fire disaster in Norway in modern times. SOTRA 2021: A large fire broke out at Sotra outside Bergen in the summer of 2021. It took several days to put it out. Photo: Henrik Sundgård / NTB scanpix After the big fire at Sotra in 2021, the fire crews spent almost two weeks bringing the heat back down in the earth. But the development does not clearly point in one direction, statistics from the Norwegian Directorate for Social Security and Emergency Preparedness (DSB) show. They have recorded the number of terrain fires digitally since 2017. As of June 11 each year, the statistics look like this: 2017: Grass and inland: 608, forest and outland: 166 2018: Grass and inland: 653, forest and outland: 246 2019: Grass and hinterland: 425, forest and hinterland: 136 2020: Grass and hinterland: 427, forest and hinterland: 162 2021: Grass and hinterland: 560, forest and hinterland: 160 2022: Grass and hinterland: 702, forest and hinterland: 208 2023 : Grass and hinterland: 583, forest and hinterland: 179 Total number of terrain fires since 2017 2017: Grass and hinterland: 773, forest and hinterland: 301 2018: Grass and hinterland: 1182, forest and hinterland: 919 2019: Grass and hinterland: 560 , forest and outland: 262 2020: Grass and inland: 611, forest and outland: 382 2021: Grass and inland: 788, forest and outland: 403 2022: Grass and inland: 903, forest and outland: 380 2023 (per 11. June): Grass and inland: 583, forest and outland: 179 Source: The Directorate for Community Safety and Emergency Preparedness – Both last year, 2018 and in 2017 there had been more fires as of 11 June than this year. But what I see now in terms of weather and drought, this year is most reminiscent of 2018, says Omland. According to the website brannstatistikk.no, it is Viken and Innlandet that have experienced the most fires so far this year. Further south in Europe, the fires have been even more violent. – We see that Norway and the rest of Scandinavia are perhaps a few decades behind southern Europe and we can probably expect that we will get something more similar in a few decades, says Omland. Dag Rune Omland, section manager for preparedness and emergency notification in the department for fire and rescue in DSB. Photo: DSB / Climate researcher: – Norway luckier than other countries Weather phenomena have become more intense in recent years. – If you look at the climate models, you can expect torrential rain more often and more drought in the summer, especially in southern and eastern Norway. That’s what climate researcher at the Bjerknes Center and professor at UiB, Tore Furevik, says. – Is there reason to fear climate change? – It is global. Here we will see more heat and drought, but as far as Norway is concerned, we will do better than many other countries. We can replace the water systems, which we have the money to do, he says. Climate researcher at the Bjerknes Center and professor at UiB, Tore Furevik. Photo: Sindre Skrede / news Focusing on prevention In order to prevent a fire from growing large, early warning has everything to say, explains Omland. The second thing DSB focuses on is development: good boundary lines, i.e. distance to nearby terrain, when municipalities plan new construction sites. Clear and maintain forests and open fields and create zones and lines to prevent a fire from growing too large should it occur. Animals on pasture to reduce vegetation There are also separate teams that burn down dead vegetation in a safe environment. – What is so unpredictable is where the lightning strikes, which today is a significant reason why it starts to burn.
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DSB fears another peak year for forest fires in Norway – news Vestland
