Wildfires have been ravaging the marshes of the Biebrza National Park in northeastern Poland, home to moose, beavers and unique wetland birds, since Sunday, as the country faces the severest drought in decades.
Firefighters try to extinguish a fire burning at the Biebrzanski National Park near Bialystok, Poland April 22, 2020. Grzegorz Dabrowski/Agencja Gazeta via REUTERS
Hundreds of firefighters are tackling the blaze, which has spread to around 6,000 hectares. The area of the Biebrza Nature Park, Poland’s biggest, is 59,000 hectares. The Environment Ministry said the fire was most likely caused by illegal grass burning.
Environmentalists say that the fire reflects ongoing climate change and urge the government to change its water management policies to fight the drought. Last year Poland announced a 14 billion zlotys plan to fight drought that was designed to increase water retention. The fire rages as the world on Wednesday celebrates Earth Day, an annual event to demonstrate support for environmental protection.
Source: Reuters
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