Evacuees in Upper Valais Can Soon Return Home
Published: Friday, Jul 21st 2023, 17:40
تم التحديث في: الجمعة، 13 أكتوبر 2023، الساعة 14:12:14
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The people who were evacuated due to the forest fire in the Oberwallis region of Switzerland will soon be able to return home. Firefighters and helicopters have been working together all weekend to make this possible. On Friday, the focus was on the still closed Ried-Mörel road, which needs to be cleared before the 50 people still evacuated can return home. The telephone hotline for those affected by the fire has already been lifted. On Friday morning, the army's Super-Puma helicopter, equipped with infrared cameras, flew over the area to better assess the damage. The surveillance with thermal imaging cameras will be suspended over the weekend. Five to six helicopters continued their flights during the day, while about 80 firefighters were deployed in other parts of the forest. The air space around Bitsch has been closed to all civilian aircraft, including drones, as a precautionary measure until next Friday. This is to protect the ongoing activities of the emergency services on land and in the air. Weather forecasts are also causing concern, as thunderstorms can help to extinguish the fire but wind gusts can also fan it. Wind strength is expected to decrease by the end of the week and rain is expected on Monday and Tuesday. The fire covers an area of about 100 hectares and it is not yet possible to assess the exact extent of the damage, as some areas of the forest seem to have been spared. Fortunately, no people or animals were harmed and no buildings were damaged.
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