VILNIUS - Tens of firemen are still fighting against a forest fire in the town of Smiltyne, the Curonian Spit.
According to Fire and Rescue Department's report, firefighters have managed to stop the fire from spreading and firefighting was terminated at night.
The fire broke out on May 4, when in a few hours' time, 150 hectares of forest were already in flames.
Due to the fire energy supply to Neringa residents was temporarily terminated, with traffic closed from the 3rd to the 7th kilometer of the Smiltyne-Nida road.
Currently, Klaipeda firefighters are assisted by colleagues from ten Lithuanian districts, as well as by 160 servicemen from the Lithuanian Grand Duke Butigeidis Dragoon Training Battalion, 15 Environmental Protection Agency employees and local residents.
Some 80 firefighters with 19 water tanks and other equipment are working at the scene.
Two Air Force helicopters Mi-8 with special water buckets are also involved in the firefighting.
The Latvian State Fire and Rescue Service sent one more helicopter with a water bucket to help to put out the fire.
This is the largest fire in Smiltyne in recent years. A decade ago, 60 hectares of forest burned during a fire on the Curonian Spit. The Smiltyne forest is suspected to have been set on fire.
