Swiss forest fire dies down, but further flare-ups can’t be ruled out

Dozens of hectares of (mostly) spruce trees were destroyed by the fires. © Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott

Fires which broke out three weeks ago in southern Switzerland have stabilised enough to allow a return to normality, authorities have said.

In the last few days, firefighters have found just isolated embers and emergency work is gradually winding down, authorities said on Friday evening.

On July 17 large fires broke out in the mountains above Bitsch in the canton of Valais, leading to the temporary evacuation of over 200 locals.

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However, new fires still cannot be ruled out, as embers hidden in the ground can often re-ignite months later, authorities said. The fire brigade is to keep a ten-strong unit on alert, while equipment such as a mobile water tank will also remain on site. A helicopter can also be requested at short notice if necessary.

The army, which was also involved in operations, will carry out its final surveillance flight – equipped with thermal imaging equipment – on Monday.

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Civil protection staff will meanwhile continue to operate a fire watch, and forestry experts are to analyse the newly increased risk of erosion after heavy rainfall.

In total some 132 hectares were affected by the fire, of which 35 hectares were rocky terrain.

About three-quarters of the trees – mostly spruces – in the affected forest area were burned.