Firefighters battle to control Swiss Alps forest blaze

GENEVA: A hundred firefighters were battling to control a forest blaze in the Swiss Alps on Tuesday, though some villagers were allowed to return having been evacuated the night before.

The fire broke out on Monday in a forest above the village of Bitsch in the upper Wallis region in southern Switzerland. The fire is on the north side of the steep Rhone river valley. The fire is still “raging” and “intervention forces are fighting tirelessly to bring the flames under control”, Wallis police said in a statement.

“To contain and control the fire, five helicopters are engaged alongside a hundred firefighters. The situation is being constantly assessed.”

Civilian and military helicopters were involved, with water dropped on the trees. Four hamlets were evacuated on Monday evening, with 205 people moved out. Most sheltered with local friends and family.

Around 150 residents of Ried-Moerel were allowed to return home on Tuesday. Police said the blaze has affected around 100 hectares of forest on the mountain slopes, and although it is too early to assess the exact extent of the fire, “some areas of the forest seem to have been spared”.

In the coming days, fire crews will be backed up by infra-red cameras able to detect hotspots which can then be targeted.