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by IANS |
Prague, July 29 (IANS) A forest fire in Czech Republic's Bohemian Switzerland National Park has been contained to an area of about 1,000 hectares after raging for five days.
Firefighters suspect that the blaze was started by humans, reports Xinhua news agency.
The forest fire broke out on Sunday and started spreading on Monday due to windy weather.
It even crossed the country's border with Germany.
Some 500 firefighters had been on the scene.
Slovakia, Poland and Italy had also sent firefighting aircraft to help douse the blaze.
Several hundred people from Czech villages have been evacuated.
No casualties have been reported so far, although local media reported that eight firefighters had been treated for minor abrasions or oxygen therapy.
As the fire is unlikely to spread further, Environment Minister Anna Hubackova made the decision not to close the entirety of the park despite prior calls from the park administration.
However, police are turning cars away near the fire, and areas affected by the blaze within the park remain inaccessible, according to Czech Television.
Hubackova said that impacted areas of the park will be closed and local closures will likely persist based on the discretion of municipal officials.
