Burning Tree
2023-08-02. A visit to Tyresta National Park to photograph in Brandplats 3, year 24 after the great fire in 1999.
I see, 10:43 from my place on a higher elevation with a view, a hint of smoke rising between trees a few hundred metres to the northeast. I try to film it to see if I can use the film to clarify what I am actually seeing. It is difficult to decide. I decide to try to find the spot and move through the terrain in the direction I think I saw the smoke rising.
After a little over an hour's movement, I am at 12:00 standing a little further ahead, again on a small hill with a view to the north-east. Now I have approached some of the rugged terrain and both see and film smoke rising. The smoke development is not great, and I suspect that someone may have built a fire.
Nineteen minutes later, I smell smoke clearly and can localise a fire. I am now coming from the north-east and must have walked half a lap round a slope to get there. It turns out to be burning in a lying tree trunk. Small flames can be seen at the root of a small pine tree lying on the ground. The tree has burned from the top down the entire trunk and out into a couple of branches in the centre of the tree. The whole tree is completely charred, only the root remains, where the fire is going on, and at the top where the fire for some reason has not travelled. The charred tree is about 12 metres long. Our position is 59,18429° N, 18,32963° E.
After assessing the danger, I dialled 112 at 12:25. I described the situation and where I was. Someone called back later to try to clarify the situation. I was informed to stay put and wait for the fire brigade to arrive. Several hours pass as I wait. The weather goes from being overcast to being sunny. I realise how difficult it must be to find the place, which is far from hiking trails. I photograph my location via Maps to be able to help. I position myself for a long time on a visible high position with a view in the direction I think the rescue team might come from. I search for water, or humidity nearby. 15:18 I call again to 112. I also call the National Park and tell them what is happening. In the meantime, the fire has moved along in the roots of the tree. Nearby are several dry pine trees and I realise that I have to take matters into my own hands to try to extinguish the burning tree. I have an empty thermos that I had coffee in and an empty small plastic Bravo juice bottle. I manage to find a depression in an old root hollow where there is some damp moss. I start to think that no one will come and slowly start to fill my empty containers that I carry to the fire. After an hour of walking back and forth, I judge the fire to be extinguished. I break the roots of the tree to make sure there are no embers left.
At 16:12, when no more smoke is visible, I leave for my car which is parked 1,8 km away at the southern entrance of the National Park at Åva. I don't hear from the rescue team or the National Park with any questions about the incident. A little over a month later, I contact 112 and the Södertörn Fire Brigade Association to ask for documents relating to the fire I
discovered, reported and extinguished in Tyresta National Park on 2 August 2023.
Condensed summary of incident report:
Rc, via 112. Tree on the ground burning/MLI
Call received by SOS Alarm 2023-08-02 12:25:41. Call answered by SOS 2023-08-02 12:26:04
Main alarm 2023-08-02 12:29.10. Fire outdoor terrain, Grass fire
Location, property: Tyresö 1:834, SOS type area: Tyresö - DHR
District, municipality: Tyresö, Tyresö, Tyresta nature area (National Park)
Event, fire or fire incident in forest or land
Description, after we + forest rangers received a description of where the person called from, we found nothing and also no one who meets up and can point out where it burns, after about 2 hours. searching, we blow off the effort, the case is handed over to the forest ranger for Tyresta National Park. 01K3:MI, 2023-08-07 13:53
Cause, human action (or inaction).
236-8410/70: Probably a prank call. /MI
Assessment of intent. The event is presumed to be intentional
01K3:MI, 2023-08-07 13:48
