EXPLAINED: What do Sweden's fire bans mean?
Fire bans have been issued for all of southern and central Sweden, including parts of Norrland. But what does it mean and are you allowed to barbecue?
There are generally two types of fire bans: what Swedish authorities call a “fire ban” and a “stringent fire ban”.
In general, you could say that a standard fire ban means that you are not permitted to make a fire or light a barbecue using solid, combustible fuel in forests and other outdoor areas, outside of your own garden or designated barbecue places.
Swedish local authorities often set up permanent spots for grilling by lakes, in forests, parks and at other beauty spots. You’re generally allowed to use these when there’s a standard fire ban. You’re also allowed to grill in your own garden.
A stringent fire ban means the above, but grilling at designated barbecue spots outside of built-up areas is also prohibited.
You are still allowed to grill in your own garden, even under a stringent ban.
There’s a third option: a total fire ban.
A total fire ban is rare, but in the summer of 2018 when Sweden was ravaged by a record number of wildfires, many areas imposed a total fire ban. This means no fires are allowed, not in your garden, not anywhere else. Not a barbecue, not to warm up an outdoor hot tub.
Total fire bans generally also prohibit gas grills or other fires using gas, such as camping stoves, but electric grills are still permitted. If in doubt, assume you're not allowed to grill or light a fire of any kind unless you can find official information stating the contrary.
INSIDE SWEDEN:
Those are the general rules, but there could also be specific rules.
Fire bans can be introduced by either the county administrative boards (which represent the national government on a regional level) or the municipalities.
They may sometimes have specific rules in places adapted to the local area, so if you’re planning to light a fire, it’s crucial that you read up on the local fire ban.
A map by Krisinformation.se (an official website which publishes emergency information from Swedish authorities), which can be found in English, shows which parts of Sweden have a fire ban in place, but it doesn’t go into specifics.
To find out exactly what applies in your area, click on your municipality on the map and then “more info”.
The link will take you to the homepage of whoever issued the fire ban, but it usually doesn’t take you directly to an explanation of what fire rules currently apply there, so you have to do a bit of digging.
Most municipalities and county administrative boards publish current fire bans quite prominently on their websites, though, sometimes as a banner at the top.
Some publish the information in English, but that’s far from always the case, so if you don’t speak Swedish you may have to run the text through a translation tool.
Here are a few Swedish words that may help you along the way:
eldningsförbud – fire ban
skärpt eldningsförbud – stringent fire ban
totalt eldningsförbud – total fire ban
hög brandrisk – high risk of fire
förbjudet/förbjuden – prohibited
skog och mark – literally “forest and land” but it tends to refer to any kind of area which is close enough to forests and trees that a fire could cause a forest fire
sammanhållen bebyggelse – built-up area
If you light a fire in violation of a ban, you could be fined.
Bear in mind that even if you do comply with local fire rules to the letter, you are always responsible for what happens to any fire you light, so you need to take proper precautions and be confident that there’s no risk of it spreading.
Make sure the grill is set up on a flat surface away from any grass, trees, sheds or anything else that could catch fire easily. Keep a bucket of water nearby, never leave the fire unattended, and make sure it’s completely extinguished before you leave.
In case of emergency, dial Sweden’s emergency number 112.
It’s worth also consulting weather agency SMHI’s map of the risk of wildfires, which is separate from the map of fire bans. If you live in an area where there’s currently a high risk of wildfires, be extra careful before lighting a fire, even if there aren't any official bans in place.
You could also download the Swedish Civil Contingencies' free app Brandrisk ute ("Fire Danger Outdoors"), which will give you up-to-date information in English on the risk of wildfires in your area. It's available both for iPhone and Android.
Comments
See Also
There are generally two types of fire bans: what Swedish authorities call a “fire ban” and a “stringent fire ban”.
In general, you could say that a standard fire ban means that you are not permitted to make a fire or light a barbecue using solid, combustible fuel in forests and other outdoor areas, outside of your own garden or designated barbecue places.
Swedish local authorities often set up permanent spots for grilling by lakes, in forests, parks and at other beauty spots. You’re generally allowed to use these when there’s a standard fire ban. You’re also allowed to grill in your own garden.
A stringent fire ban means the above, but grilling at designated barbecue spots outside of built-up areas is also prohibited.
You are still allowed to grill in your own garden, even under a stringent ban.
There’s a third option: a total fire ban.
A total fire ban is rare, but in the summer of 2018 when Sweden was ravaged by a record number of wildfires, many areas imposed a total fire ban. This means no fires are allowed, not in your garden, not anywhere else. Not a barbecue, not to warm up an outdoor hot tub.
Total fire bans generally also prohibit gas grills or other fires using gas, such as camping stoves, but electric grills are still permitted. If in doubt, assume you're not allowed to grill or light a fire of any kind unless you can find official information stating the contrary.
INSIDE SWEDEN:
Those are the general rules, but there could also be specific rules.
Fire bans can be introduced by either the county administrative boards (which represent the national government on a regional level) or the municipalities.
They may sometimes have specific rules in places adapted to the local area, so if you’re planning to light a fire, it’s crucial that you read up on the local fire ban.
A map by Krisinformation.se (an official website which publishes emergency information from Swedish authorities), which can be found in English, shows which parts of Sweden have a fire ban in place, but it doesn’t go into specifics.
To find out exactly what applies in your area, click on your municipality on the map and then “more info”.
The link will take you to the homepage of whoever issued the fire ban, but it usually doesn’t take you directly to an explanation of what fire rules currently apply there, so you have to do a bit of digging.
Most municipalities and county administrative boards publish current fire bans quite prominently on their websites, though, sometimes as a banner at the top.
Some publish the information in English, but that’s far from always the case, so if you don’t speak Swedish you may have to run the text through a translation tool.
Here are a few Swedish words that may help you along the way:
eldningsförbud – fire ban
skärpt eldningsförbud – stringent fire ban
totalt eldningsförbud – total fire ban
hög brandrisk – high risk of fire
förbjudet/förbjuden – prohibited
skog och mark – literally “forest and land” but it tends to refer to any kind of area which is close enough to forests and trees that a fire could cause a forest fire
sammanhållen bebyggelse – built-up area
If you light a fire in violation of a ban, you could be fined.
Bear in mind that even if you do comply with local fire rules to the letter, you are always responsible for what happens to any fire you light, so you need to take proper precautions and be confident that there’s no risk of it spreading.
Make sure the grill is set up on a flat surface away from any grass, trees, sheds or anything else that could catch fire easily. Keep a bucket of water nearby, never leave the fire unattended, and make sure it’s completely extinguished before you leave.
In case of emergency, dial Sweden’s emergency number 112.
It’s worth also consulting weather agency SMHI’s map of the risk of wildfires, which is separate from the map of fire bans. If you live in an area where there’s currently a high risk of wildfires, be extra careful before lighting a fire, even if there aren't any official bans in place.
You could also download the Swedish Civil Contingencies' free app Brandrisk ute ("Fire Danger Outdoors"), which will give you up-to-date information in English on the risk of wildfires in your area. It's available both for iPhone and Android.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.