Wildfires surge in Finland as aerial surveillance flights detect 140 incidents

The number of wildfires detected during aerial surveillance flights has increased compared to last year, according to the regional government authority. Throughout the entire observation season, a total of 478 flights were conducted, resulting in 140 fire sightings. Regular surveillance flights began only in mid-May, with the most flights—310—occurred in that month, identifying 94 wildfires. The flights operate along 22 different routes across Finland.

Both the number of flights and wildfire sightings saw an increase from the previous year, which recorded 446 flights and 113 fire sightings. Mika Kurvinen, a fire chief at the Northern Finland regional government authority, stated in a press release that the observation season was exceptional due to regional variations in dryness and continued flights into September.

This year, the overall number of wildfire response operations remained below the average of recent years, with slightly over 2,000 reported incidents; 961 of these occurred in May. The largest single wildfire was identified in Kempele in May, covering an area of 20 hectares. Extensive wildfires were also reported in Inari in September, affecting areas of approximately 18 and 8 hectares.

This year, about half of the €1.2 million allocated by the Ministry of the Interior for aerial surveillance operations was utilized.