A peat area burned near the Oru district of Kohtla-Järve. The fire spread across 30 hectares of land. Firefighters believe someone set the fire intentionally.
The fire started on Saturday. The main burning area was under a high-voltage power line. On Sunday, firefighters extinguished the fire to prevent it from spreading to the forest. "On Sunday, we will conduct follow-up extinguishing. There is a risk that the pine forest will catch fire. We saw with a thermal camera that there are still many hot spots," said Valvi Väli, an employee of the rescue service.
The work was difficult. Vehicles could not get close, only special equipment. The peatland required a lot of water. Strong winds swirled the ash and made the work challenging. "People have their eyes full of ash. The work is nasty," said Väli.
Valvi Väli said the area has a high fire risk. The nearby power line is full of dry grass. "Elering should mow the area under the lines, but they don't have the opportunity," said Väli.
Väli said that fires in Oru are an annual problem. "Only last year there were no issues because the spring was rainy," he said.