Di., Juli 18th 2023
After a large-scale forest fire broke out in Upper Valais, the evacuation of several settlements was partially completed on Monday evening.
In the afternoon on Monday, the forest above Bitsch/Ried-Mörel caught fire for reasons that are still unknown. The nearby population of Oberried was completely evacuated by 10 p.m., but the evacuation of Bitsch-Mörel was not yet complete, as officials explained to the media overnight.
Due to the danger of falling rocks, other settlements below the extensive forest fire area are partially evacuated. The authorities could not say anything about the number of evacuated people. In addition to the Air Zermatt and Air Glaciers helicopters, which have been in use for hours, an army helicopter (a Super Puma) has also been patrolling.
The forest fire “explosively spread” during Tuesday night, according to the helicopter company Air Zermatt.
The darkness, the smoke and the precise dropping of the lake water on the source of the fire poses a great challenge for the pilots at night. Several large helicopters have been added to the fleet today. According to a statement from the Valais helicopter company on Tuesday morning, only two helicopters were in action on Tuesday night – one from Air Zermatt and one from Air-Glaciers, another helicopter company from Valais. This for security reasons.
“It is a top priority that the fire does not spread further towards Riederalp,” wrote Air Zermatt. It can be assumed that the extinguishing work could take days. Also, because a strong wind was blowing in the Rhone Valley, the flames spread quickly in the dry area.
The mayor of the Bitsch VS municipality affected by the fire, Eduard Kuonen, said on Swiss radio SRF that the fire was big and scary when it comes to assessing the damage.
The head of operations and fire brigade commander Mario Schaller said on the radio that when a tree catches fire, it is like a torch.
“It’s really a dangerous situation,” Schaller said.
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