According to information from one of our correspondents on the ground, the largest national park in Poland, located near Osowiec-Twierdza, has been engulfed in flames since last Thursday. More than 6,000 hectares have already been destroyed by the fire.
Biebrza National Park comprises 59,000 hectares of wetlands, home to wildlife such as moose, beavers and unique bird species.
It is an incalculable loss, an indescribable tragedy. We may have to battle this fire for months to come
Janina Agnieszka Zach, a park employee, speaking to our colleagues at the Polish television channel TVN
A spread fuelled by drought
The fire, which was still burning on Friday afternoon, is believed to have been caused by farmers who were illegally burning grass. "The fire couldn’t have started spontaneously; it’s not the middle of summer, and there’s neither heat nor a storm", said the park’s director, Andrzej Grygoruk. "Stupid, irresponsible, criminal… the behaviour of these farmers is beyond description".
The spread of the fire is being fuelled by a severe drought, described as one of the worst in decades.