Firefighters and aircraft in Bohemian Switzerland to be reduced this week

The number of firefighters and resources in Bohemian Switzerland will be greatly reduced this week. The number of firefighters, especially volunteers, has already decreased as a result of the handover of a section of the park near Janov on Monday. According to fire department head Vladimír Vlček, there were 30 fewer units of volunteer firefighters on the scene on Monday than on Saturday.

Firefighters will leave gradually as they hand over other extinguished areas to the park administration. After the sector encompassing the evacuated villages of Hřensko, Mezná and Mezní Louka is handed back to the park management, the evacuated residents will be able to return home.

The Canadair planes from Italy which were helping with the firefighting efforts have already flown back to their country of origin, and a spokesman for the fire brigade told the Czech News Agency that no new aircraft will replace them. Lake Milada, where planes have been collecting water to fight the fire, is open to the public again as of Monday, after being closed for the last week and a half.

The head of the fire department, Vladimír Vlček, predicts that the fire in the park as a whole will have been completely extinguished by Friday.