Almost 600 wildfires registered in Estonia this year

Close to 600 forest, bush and grass fires have been recorded by the Rescue Board (Päästeamet) in Estonia so far this year.
The Rescue Board declared a fire hazard period on 6 April following a relatively warm and dry spell for the time of year, a phenomenon experience across northern Europe.
Precautions which should be taken include safety measures even when making a fire in a private garden, and only using specially designated zones when on public land.
Information on the locations of public fire and barbecue spots is available at the state forest (RMK) site here; fire safety information (in Estonian) from the Rescue Board is here.
A pall of bluish smoke which spread across much of south and central Estonia on Thursday afternoon is thought to have originated from bush fires somewhere either in the Russian Federation or in Belarus.
Editor: Andrew Whyte