Stolovi Fire Near Kraljevo Eases, Novi Pazar Blaze Erupts
Firefighters say conditions have improved on the Stolovi ridge above Kraljevo, though the blaze there is still not contained. A new fire has broken out near Novi Pazar, in the village of Rogozna.
More than ten wildfires are burning across Serbia this morning, B92, Sputnik and Tanjug confirmed today. Attention remains focused on the slopes of Stolovi above Kraljevo, where the fire is still not contained, and on a fresh outbreak near Novi Pazar, in the village of Rogozna on the mountain of the same name.
On Stolovi, conditions are better than in previous days, according to a statement from the local fire service. Light rain fell overnight, but the steep, hard-to-reach terrain is still making the firefighting effort difficult. Fire crews, workers from the state forestry company Srbijasume, and volunteer firefighters are on the ground.
Near Novi Pazar, a fire in the village of Muhovo was put out on Sunday evening after burning through more than 50 hectares of land over several days. As crews were pulling out of that site, a new fire broke out on the other side of the city, on Mount Rogozna. The terrain there is described as extremely difficult to access, and how much land has burned so far is not yet known. Firefighters have been deployed to the scene.
Three fires in southern Serbia were extinguished over the past day: in Lukovo near Vranje, near the village of Kozik in the Sjenica area, and in the village of Slisane near Lebane. A fire near the town of Kaona, in the Lucani municipality, has been brought under control.
The night passed quietly in the Deliblato Sands, with no new or major flare-ups. The Kosava wind blew at lower intensity than in previous days, the temperature stayed below 30 degrees Celsius, and light rain fell there as well. Around 500 people and roughly 200 vehicles and pieces of equipment remain deployed on the ground, with helicopters on standby. Srpske.rs previously reported on that fire in the article “Deliblato Sands Clear of Active Fires as Wind Gusts of Up to 90 km/h Approach.”
Dragana Ostojic, state secretary at the Ministry of Environmental Protection, told Sputnik she expects the operation in the Deliblato Sands to wrap up soon.
“We expect a complete containment to be declared soon,” Ostojic said.
She added that the ministry, within its remit, is already preparing a remediation plan for the protected natural area, and that ministry officials, led by Minister Sara Pavkovic, have toured the site and held talks with the institutions that will take part in its recovery.
The Republic Hydrometeorological Service has issued a warning over high temperatures and drought conditions across all of Serbia, conditions it says could trigger new open-air fires.
