Wildfire breaks out in Kevon National Park near Kevon research station in Finland

A small wildfire broke out on Tuesday evening in Kevon National Park, located 3.4 kilometers from the Kevon research station. The Lapland Rescue Service received notification of the fire around 9 PM, which originated in a small bog. The affected area extends over 1.5 hectares but is now under control, according to the Lapland Rescue Service. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

Monitoring of the fire site is planned to be handed over to the Finnish Forest Administration. Currently, there is a forest fire warning in effect in Inari and Utsjoki. Emergency services are advising caution when using fire, even if a warning is not in place.

In the last week, firefighting efforts have increased in Upper Lapland. Last week, three separate fires were reported simultaneously in the Inari region. Additionally, a small fire that started from a campfire was extinguished on Friday night in Inari.

On the opposite side of the border in Northern Norway, wildfires have also been reported recently. Conditions in the north are extremely dry; measurements from the Saariselkä station show this September has seen the lowest rainfall on record. The Kevon region in Utsjoki has experienced similarly dry conditions, with only 1.1 millimeters of rain recorded by September 13, the lowest since 1990.