Evacuations After Forest Fire in Upper Valais in Full Swing
Published: Monday, Jul 17th 2023, 22:40
Mise à jour le : Vendredi, 13 octobre 2023, 14:12
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After a large-scale forest fire broke out in the Upper Valais, the evacuation of several settlements was partially completed on Monday evening. The fire had caught fire in Bitsch/Ried-Mörel in the afternoon for unknown reasons. The population of Oberried had been completely evacuated by 10 pm, while the evacuation of Bitsch-Mörel had not yet been completed, as authorities representatives stated in Bitsch in front of the media. The road Ried-Mörel was closed until further notice. Further settlements below the large-scale forest fire area were partially evacuated due to the danger of rockfall. The authorities could not say how many people had been evacuated. In addition to the helicopters of Air Zermatt and Air Glaciers, which had been in operation for hours, an army helicopter was also available, as the army itself had announced. It is a Super Puma. On Tuesday, a second army helicopter will be added. During the night from Monday to Tuesday, extinguishing flights will be continued with one two-engine helicopter each from Air Zermatt and Air Glaciers, as Air Zermatt announced in a statement on Monday evening. In addition to the fire brigades of the surrounding municipalities (Naters, Brig, Riederalp), the police, civil protection and rescue forces were also mobilised. On Monday evening, according to official figures, 150 firefighters, 25 police officers and 20 civil protection personnel were in action. The first fire alarm had been received by the police shortly before 5 pm. The exact cause and extent of the fire were still unknown in the evening. The fire was visible from afar. According to the police, the flames spread rapidly after the outbreak of the fire, also because a strong wind was blowing in the Rhone Valley.
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