Batajnica Fire: Smoke Cloud Covers Novi Sad Highway

A fire broke out today, September 17, in low, dry brush next to the Novi Sad highway, right at the entrance to Batajnica. The first reports of the blaze surfaced around 2:30 p.m., and by all accounts the flames spread very quickly.

According to Telegraf, which broke the story at 2:29 p.m., the fire caught low vegetation right along the roadway, just a few meters from cars that were passing through the area as the flames began to spread. Thick black smoke soon blanketed the stretch of road and sharply cut visibility for drivers.

Drivers passing on the highway when the fire started also filmed the scene. According to the available reports, those clips were already circulating on social media within the first few minutes after the fire broke out, showing flames tearing through the brush right next to the road and black smoke rolling upward over the highway in waves.

Several fire trucks were dispatched to the scene from the direction of Belgrade. Fire crews searched for the best approach to the affected stretch so they could reach the flames and begin extinguishing them, while the relevant authorities managed traffic on the road itself, directing cars around the area until the smoke had spread across the entire lane.

Drivers were advised to proceed with extreme caution, and those who could were urged to use alternative side roads instead of the Novi Sad highway until the fire was brought under control. That advisory remained in place in the hours that followed, as the smoke had not yet cleared.

Smoke Was Still Rising an Hour and a Half Later

Kurir reported at 4:01 p.m., nearly an hour and a half after the first accounts of the fire, that thick smoke was still rising over the populated part of Batajnica. According to that report, it still was not known at that point exactly what was burning at the site.

The reports diverge on this point. Telegraf had already written at 2:29 p.m. that the fire was burning low brush along the road, and other sources repeated that account through the afternoon, while Kurir reported an hour and a half later that the nature of the burning material had not yet been determined. No source has so far published official confirmation of exactly what caught fire.

The cause of the fire has not been officially announced. The relevant authorities have not yet said whether the fire was started deliberately, caused by carelessness, or resulted from the high temperatures and dry vegetation typical of this part of Serbia at this time of year.

As of this writing, there were no reports of injuries, nor of any damage to vehicles or nearby structures. The Novi Sad highway is one of the main routes connecting Belgrade with Batajnica and the settlements in that direction, so any slowdown on this stretch affects a large number of drivers passing through in the afternoon hours.

Neither Telegraf nor Kurir, nor the other outlets that reported on the fire, have so far published a statement from a fire service representative or any other relevant institution. All information available to the public at this point comes from footage filmed on scene by drivers themselves and from reports by journalists tracking the story from the ground and via social media.

The Srpske Novine newsroom is following the situation and will update this article as soon as the relevant authorities release official information on the cause of the fire, the extent of the damage, and any possible injuries.