Finland sends team to Sweden to douse forest fires

Finland will send a self-sufficient rescue team with equipment to Sweden to extinguish forest fires, said an official press release.

The Finnish authority finalized the decision on Friday after Sweden accepted Finland´s offer in this regard late Thursday evening.

The team will comprise about 30 people and rescue gear such as fire engines, water tenders, motor pumps and all-terrain vehicles.

According to preliminary estimates, the rescue personnel will arrive in Sweden by Saturday morning and start working in central Sweden as soon as possible following their arrival.

The Finnish firefighters will work in Sweden for about a week. However, if so required, the operation can also be extended.

The members of the rescue team will be from the North Savo, Oulu-Koillismaa and Lapland Rescue Departments.

The firefighters to be deployed have been recruited from several rescue departments and they are currently off duty and not on standby. This ensures that the readiness to respond to possible forest fires and wildfires is maintained in Finland.

"It is important to help Sweden fight forest fires with all the resources that we can send without endangering the efficient detection and extinguishing of forest fires in Finland. I wish strength to all those leaving," said Minister of the Interior Kai Mykkänen.