By means of the EU Public Safety mechanism, two French Canadairs and a Beechcraft 200 arrived and started working in Sweden to support struggle against the flames spreading in the woods all over national land. During the night, the people in Kårböle and Gällö were evacuated, while yesterday an evacuation order was issued for the Älvdalen area, near the Trängslet shooting centre, due to explosion risk in case the flames reached the Centre. “We ask you to pray for the people evacuated and for their houses threatened with fire”, says today’s tweet by the Church of Sweden, expressing gratitude for “all the people opening their houses”.

https://twitter.com/svenskakyrkan/status/1019837843852681216

The Lutheran communities close to the areas on fire are opening the doors of parish houses to host the people who “want a cup of coffee, want to fill up a bottle of water, or go to the bathroom”, says a notice in the page of the Bräcke-Revsunds community, not far from Gällö.

https://twitter.com/svenskakyrkan/status/1019842326066352128

“The biggest fires are in Swedish areas without Catholic parishes”, says Caritas Organiser Magnus Andersson to SIR, but “priests en masse ask everyone to pray for the rain”. “Let’s go on praying for the rain”, tweeted the Church of Sweden, “and to get ideas on how to reduce the effects of drought”.