Some 600 wildfires have already been registered in Estonia this year. The Rescue Board has also reminded residents that the burning of old grass is forbidden in Estonia throughout the year.

A fire hazard period was first declared in Estonia on April 6. During a fire hazard period, fires may only be lit in designated places.

Fire safety requirements must be adhered to when lighting a fire outdoors, including in one's own yard. Prior to lighting a fire, the Rescue Board recommends that people first investigate local laws and ordinances, as fires may be banned in densely populated areas, or local legislation may dictate what items can or cannot be burned in a fire.

Fires may only be lit in light wind conditions, and those tending the fire have to ensure that sparks from the fire do not land on flammable materials. The fire must be situated a safe distance away from buildings and forest alike, and an open fire may never be left unsupervised; it must be allowed to burn to completion, and thereafter extinguished with water or smothered with sand, for example.

Authorities in Estonia stress that it is important to ensure that one's fire does not cause a grass fire.