During a grass fire warning, open fires are prohibited.
This spring, the Kymenlaakso Rescue Service has already had to extinguish a dozen wildfires in just over a week.
According to Ruuskanen, the other fires were of the same type or started by burning rubbish in the yard.
A grass fire warning has been issued for Kymenlaakso today.
– It means that open flames and bonfires are not allowed, so in principle it is the same as the forest fire warning, but the grass fire warning is usually valid between March and May.
Also, fires must not be lit in fire rings on nature trails during a grass or forest fire warning.
If you light a fire during a grass fire warning, it is a rescue violation, punishable by a fine.
No burning in urban areas
If the grass or forest fire warning is not in effect, wood and twigs may be burned in a controlled manner outside the built-up area. Waste must not be burned.
According to Ruuskanen, people know quite well that it is not allowed to burn garbage in the built-up area, but not everyone is aware of it.
Before burning the garbage, you should make sure that the environment is safe so that the fire does not spread. The burning place should not be between buildings. There should also be extinguishing equipment, such as water and a shovel, so that the fire can be limited.
– And of course, if there is a burning that causes smoke, then a fire report should be made. It can be found on our website.
According to Ruuskanen, people make arson announcements to some extent.
No wildfires yet
– The vast majority of wildfires are caused by human activity in one way or another. About two-thirds of wildfires would be reduced with better human care and compliance with bans on open fires.
According to Kultanen, the most common cause of wildfires is a wildfire that spreads from a campfire or burning twigs and garbage.
– Other common causes are ignitions caused by cigarettes or matches. In addition, dumping hot ashes too early in nature or in garbage can ignite wildfires.
According to him, the five-year average of grass and terrain fires is 67 fires per year.
– To a large extent, how many wildfires and grass fires there are depends on the summer weather conditions. The variation interval has been between 50 and 75 fires.
There is no grass fire warning in effect in South Karelia. According to Kultanen, the probability of declaring a grass fire danger increases in the middle of the week.