Dry conditions spark several fires in western Jutland

Several fires have broken out in central and western Jutland as hot, dry weather has made it possible for even a single spark to start a blaze, DR reports.

Firefighters have been called out in several places, including to a number of field fires. The incidents have involved both the Nordvestjyllands Fire and Rescue Service and Brand og Redning MidtVest, where Kim Bjerg Vemmelund is emergency services director and also served as incident commander on Friday.

Earlier in the day, he and his team extinguished a field fire near Kibæk, south of Herning. The fire was probably started by a single spark.

When conditions are as extremely dry as they are now, with very high temperatures and some wind, only a very small incident is needed to start a fire, Vemmelund said.

In this case, it is highly likely that a machine hitting a small stone produced the spark. Throwing away a cigarette butt would probably also have started a fire under current conditions, he said.

Vemmelund urged people to take great care and praised farmers for their response.

Farmers have been very effective at limiting the damage, he said. While field fires cannot be completely avoided, they have been good at containing them and helping to put them out.