Lebane Fire Burns 35 Hectares, 12 Homes Evacuated
The fire in Slisane, at the foot of Mount Radan, was still not contained on its second day, while the danger to homes in nearby Vujanovo has been lifted.
A wildfire that broke out on August 25 in the village of Slisane, in the Lebane municipality at the foot of Mount Radan, was still not contained the following morning. By August 26, the flames had burned through 35 hectares of forest and low vegetation, the Leskovac Police Department said in a statement.
In the neighboring village of Vujanovo, in the Bojnik municipality, the fire came within 50 meters of the first houses at 6:31 p.m. on August 25 and nearly reached the village cemetery, Info Centar Jug reported. Residents joined firefighters in defending their homes. By morning, the fire in Vujanovo had been brought under control, the Leskovac Police Department confirmed, though a combined 20 hectares had burned across that village’s land and the surrounding area.
In Slisane, the same statement said, the situation remains critical. The fire broke out at multiple points and the fire line is long, with firefighters staying on duty through the night. No houses or outbuildings have been damaged, and no injuries have been reported.
Sources give conflicting figures for the number of firefighters on the ground. Jugmedia reports that 40 firefighters from Leskovac, with 12 vehicles, were battling the blaze, joined by eight more from Prokuplje and Nis. Sputnik Serbia says more than 30 firefighters from Jablanica District are fighting the fire, assisted by colleagues from Nis. Resetka puts the number at 48 firefighters with 15 vehicles.
Accounts also diverge on the number of people evacuated. The Leskovac Police Department said residents of 12 houses were evacuated because of the danger to life and property. Jugmedia and Resetka, however, report that about a dozen residents were evacuated.
Firefighting efforts are being hampered by strong wind that blew throughout the night, driving the fire in several directions toward Mount Radan. Resetka reported that Lebane’s municipal leadership was also on the ground helping to organize the response.
The Lebane fire is one of 35 active open-air fires recorded across Serbia that day, Sputnik Serbia reported, alongside larger flashpoints in the Deliblato Sands, at Stolovi near Kraljevo, and near Lukovo in the Vranje area.
