Finns have been left bewildered by US President’s Donald Trump’s suggestion that California should copy Finland in raking forest floors to prevent future wildfires.
Firefighters across the Golden State are currently battling blazes which have claimed the lives of dozens of people.
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Mr Trump has blamed the fires on forest mismanagement, and while visiting California over the weekend, the US President added an eyebrow-raising solution to the mix.
He said Finnish President Sauli Niinistö told him last week in Paris that his country rarely has wildfires like this because they "spend a lot of time raking".
Mr Trump said Mr Niinistö said Finland is a forest nation and Finns "spent a lot of time on raking and cleaning and doing things, and they don't have any problem".
However, Mr Niinistö told a Finnish newspaper that he doesn’t recall the conversation.
Finnish people have ridiculed Mr Trump’s remarks, taking to Twitter to express their bafflement and amusement at the suggestion.
Hey @realDonaldTrump, they don’t really rake the forests in Finland... pic.twitter.com/fpvMGxGL1A
— Jim Aldrich (@jimaldrich) November 18, 2018
In Finland even small kids rake forests.#raking #finland #forestrake #rakefinlandgreatagain pic.twitter.com/1eG7sJdLqM
— Anders Furu (@ATFuru) November 18, 2018
Just finished #raking in forest in my neighborhood. Compulsory here in Finland , at least 2 hours a day raking or wildfires would burn whole country. Rake America great again, Mr President Trump #RAGA pic.twitter.com/FzZ1Us2U5k
— Raking Citizen Halo 🇫🇮🐦 (@haloefekti) November 18, 2018
The President of Finland ready to take another generation of Finns to rake and clean the forest floors to prevent forest fires. pic.twitter.com/8fAyVoJ2Qx
— Antti Holma (@anttiholma) November 17, 2018
Not on my watch!#Rakenews pic.twitter.com/SOt8LHQZjt
— Arto Aspfors (@aspfors) November 18, 2018
@realDonaldTrump in Finland even our dogs rake the forests 🇫🇮 #Finland #trumpfinland #RakingAmericaGreatAgain pic.twitter.com/u01ysKWKTz
— Riia (@Siruoes) November 18, 2018
Despite all the humour on Twitter, the wildfires in California have been one of the most lethal natural disasters in the US State's history.
Over a thousand of people are unaccounted for while dozens have been confirmed dead.
Shortly after the blazes spread, Mr Trump tweeted that there "is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor".
