Rtanj Wildfire Extinguished After Six Days, No Casualties

The wildfire that broke out on Mount Rtanj on September 18 has been extinguished after six days, Serbia’s deputy prime minister and interior minister in a caretaker capacity, Ivica Dacic, announced today. According to him, no one was injured in the operation and no buildings burned down.

Firefighting efforts were hampered by difficult terrain and extremely harsh working conditions, the minister said. Crews first contained the blaze before putting it out completely.

Firefighter rescue teams from Zajecar, Knjazevac, Sokobanja and Boljevac took part in the operation, with support from colleagues from Jagodina. Members of the volunteer fire brigades “Mali Izvor” and “Sokobanja” were also on the ground, along with staff from the Sokobanja Forest Administration.

Firefighter rescuers, with the help of volunteer fire brigade members and other deployed forces, managed to put out the fire that broke out on Rtanj six days ago. No one was hurt in this operation and no building burned down, which is always our priority.

The statement was given to the Interior Ministry (MUP) by Ivica Dacic.

The minister added that the number of people deployed on the ground would be gradually reduced depending on how the situation develops, but that watch duty and patrols of the burned area would continue, given the risk that the fire could flare up again.

Since August 1, MUP’s Emergency Situations Sector has put out a total of 8,050 wildfires, 6,840 of them in open areas. At the time of Dacic’s statement, five open area fires were active across Serbia.

Srpske Novine first reported on the Rtanj wildfire on September 19, a day after it broke out, when firefighters from three municipalities were already on site. Six days later, according to MUP, the operation ended without casualties and without a single building destroyed.