Stockholm, Dhu-AlQa'dah 12, 1439, Jul 25, 2018, SPA -- Swedish authorities said on Wednesday that 25 fires continued to burn across the country's forests, adding that the situation had somewhat stabilized but remained serious. The fires broke out earlier this month and have spread quickly due to extremely dry and hot weather conditions. Strong rains have not been seen for weeks, and high temperatures have given Sweden its hottest July for at least 260 years, dpa reported. The fires have affected an estimated 250 square kilometers. The Swedish Forest Agency said that forests worth about 900 million kronor (101 million dollars) have been hit by the blazes, though some of the affected timber can be used for construction purposes. In a bid to avert the outbreak of new forest fires, the national Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) urged local and regional authorities to tighten bans on lighting open fires and ban the use of barbecue grills in private gardens. --SPA 21:58 LOCAL TIME 18:58 GMT 0032 www.spa.gov.sa/w721803