The first incident occurred on Saturday, 6 March. Volunteer firefighters from Trzebień https://www.facebook.com/osptrzebien:
[…] at 1:10 p.m. we were dispatched to a wasteland fire in the village of Kraśnik Górny.
Firefighters from Trzebień, Bolesławiec and Różyniec took part in the operation.
Another fire of this kind occurred on Sunday, 7 March. The firefighters from Trzebień
[…] at 10:01 a.m. our GBA 2.5/16 unit was dispatched to a wasteland fire on Strażacka Street in Trzebień.
Fortunately, no one was injured.
In Poland, 153,520 fires were recorded in 2019, including 55,912 grass fires in meadows and agricultural wastelands, accounting for approximately 36.4% of all fires in Poland. As reported by stoppozaromtraw.pl, the largest number of grass fires was recorded in March and April—31,720 in total, accounting for 56.7% of all grass fires in 2019.
In 2019, 55,912 grass fires occurred. More than 24,151 hectares of grassland burned.
Stoppozaromtraw.pl:
The transition from winter to spring is a period when the number of grass fires in meadows and agricultural wastelands rises markedly. This is caused by the burning of dry grass and plant residue. Areas of dried vegetation from the previous year are excellent fuel, and combined with human irresponsibility, this results in a sharp increase in fires. People are responsible for most grass fires. Unfortunately, many people believe that burning dry grass naturally fertilizes the soil, causing young grass to grow faster and more abundantly and thus bringing economic benefits.
How quickly does such a fire spread?
A fire can spread at more than 20 km/h (a fast runner reaches nearly 19 km/h, while fast cycling is approximately 30 km/h). Wind also helps spread the flames. When the wind is strong and changes direction suddenly, fires very often get out of control and spread to nearby forests and buildings.
Importantly, during a forest fire, animals panic. Many of them lose their bearings and run straight into the flames!
Are people also among those injured?
National Headquarters of the State Fire Service:
People often lose everything they own in such fires. There is also a direct threat to the health and lives of people and animals.
What are the economic consequences of grass fires?
Meadow and forest fires cause enormous material losses. The accumulated wealth of many generations often goes up in smoke. Estimated losses resulting from grass fires in 2019 amounted to PLN 40,974,800. The average time spent extinguishing a grass fire is 54 minutes.
In 2018, firefighters were dispatched to grass and agricultural-wasteland fires, on average, every nine minutes.
Is burning grass legal?
Firefighters:
The ban on burning grass is set out in the following legal acts:
- The Act of 16 April 2004 on Nature Conservation (Journal of Laws 2018, item 142):
- Article 131(12): “It is prohibited to burn meadows, pastures, wastelands, ditches, roadside strips, railway routes, reed beds and rushes.”
- Article 131: “Anyone who burns meadows, pastures, wastelands, ditches, roadside strips, railway routes, reed beds or rushes is subject to arrest or a fine.”
- The Act of 28 September 1991 on Forests (Journal of Laws 2017, item 788):
- Article 30(3)(3): “In forests and forested areas, as well as within 100 metres of the forest boundary, activities and actions that may cause danger are prohibited, in particular: lighting fires outside places designated for this purpose by the forest owner or forest superintendent, using open flames, burning the topsoil and plant residue.”
What are the penalties for burning grass?
- Article 82 of the Act of 20 May 1971, the Code of Petty Offences (Journal of Laws 2018, item 618)—arrest, a reprimand or a fine which, under Article 24(1), may range from PLN 20 to PLN 5,000.
- Article 163(1) of the Act of 6 June 1997, the Criminal Code (Journal of Laws 1997, No. 88, item 553, as amended): “Anyone who causes an event that threatens the life or health of many people or property on a large scale, in the form of a fire, is subject to imprisonment for between one and 10 years.”
Losses not limited to property
National Headquarters of the State Fire Service:
In 2019, during rescue operations related to extinguishing grass fires, 183,412,171 litres of water were used, equivalent to the capacity of 49 Olympic-size swimming pools. Due to their nature and usually large size, grass fires in wastelands engage a large number of firefighters and rescue resources. Every intervention of this kind represents a significant financial expense.
Uniformed services emphasize:
Firefighters involved in extinguishing grass fires in meadows and wastelands may simultaneously be needed elsewhere to save people’s lives, health and property. It may happen that, because of people’s recklessness in burning grass, they do not reach in time the places where they are urgently needed.