Southern parts of Norway are this year experiencing the worst drought since 1947. With over two and a half months without any measurable amount of rain, the ground is bone dry. Lightning strikes have resulted in over 350 forest fires in the last couple of weeks, and the relieving rain is nowhere to be seen. The fires, which have affected large areas in southern Norway has been ongoing for several weeks, straining the emergency services to the point that the Home Guard has been deployed to relieve the exhausted firefighters.
Neighbouring Sweden and Finland are also experiencing their share of the devastating fires, leading to the evacuation of citizens living in the expected path of the flames. The three countries are cooperating closely to end the dangerous fires that are spreading rapidly.
The fires in northern Europe come a year after the worst fire season in Europe in recorded history, when devastating fires hit Portugal, Spain and Italy, destroying forests and agricultural land well into November 2017.