Helicopter Company Threatens to Withdraw Firefighting Services
Published: Wednesday, Jul 19th 2023, 09:40
Updated At: Friday, Oct 13th 2023, 14:12
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In the forest fire area near Bitsch in the Oberwallis, the fire was still not under control on Wednesday. The threat of a helicopter company to withdraw from the operation was not implemented. The firefighting was difficult for the firefighters due to the ash making the ground slippery and hot enough to melt their shoe soles. The fire was spread over an area of about 100 football fields and the thunderstorm the night before did not bring much relief. The cause of the fire was still unknown on Wednesday. The helicopter company Air Zermatt had threatened to withdraw from the operation on Tuesday, citing the use of army helicopters as a violation of the subsidiarity principle. The army was called in as they provide their services for free. However, the army spokesperson said that the army is always available when needed and that the army only acts on the request and under the direction of the civil authorities. The cooperation between the army and the helicopter company was still functioning and no helicopters had been withdrawn.
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