Title: Several Municipalities in Västra Götaland Region Ease Fire Ban Restrictions
After a dry early summer, most municipalities in the Västra Götaland region implemented a strict fire ban. However, some municipalities, including Gothenburg and border municipalities such as Kungälv, Mölndal, Kungsbacka, and Härryda, have now relaxed their burning bans to some extent.
Previously, the city of Gothenburg had also imposed a ban on barbecues in parks, beaches, and swimming areas. However, this ban has now been lifted, allowing residents to make fires and grill on their properties, courtyards, yards of apartment buildings, allotments, and parks, as long as the landowner permits it.
These decisions were made in consultation with emergency services. Despite the relaxation of the ban, the forest and land still remain dry, and therefore, fires are still prohibited in these areas outside of designated barbecue areas.
According to the Rescue Service in Greater Gothenburg, despite recent rain, the lower soil layers remain very dry, posing a high risk of forest and land fires.
In terms of weather forecast, SMHI has removed the fire risk warning for Western Sweden. The fire risk warning still remains in the southern half of Skåne and towards Östergötland and the Stockholm area. However, more rain is expected in the coming days, with a forecast for rain over five consecutive days starting from Saturday.
Linus Karlsson, a meteorologist at SMHI, stated that the weather in the region is becoming more unstable, with regular spells of rain and occasional sunshine. This weather pattern is expected to reduce the risk of fires. However, SMHI continues to warn of water shortages, as it takes longer for groundwater levels to rise.
The fire restrictions and guidelines are as follows: burning with solid fuel (such as wood, coal, grass, rice, and branches) in forests and fields is strictly prohibited. However, grilling is permitted on private properties or at fixed grill sites. At public places, grilling at fixed barbecue areas is also forbidden, but the use of storm kitchens is allowed if the risk of ignition is low.
This information was sourced from krisinformation.se and the County Administrative Board Västra Götaland.
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[Source: krisinformation.se, County Administrative Board Västra Götaland]