Fire Near Ulcinj Destroys Olive and Citrus Orchards

A wildfire that spread overnight from low brush onto farmland near Ulcinj had by the morning of August 16 destroyed about 300 lemon trees, 100 pomegranate trees, an olive grove and an irrigation system on the property of Ulcinj resident Djoko Nikprelevic in Briska Gora. For Serbia this is not a distant story: the fire line runs along Montenegro’s coast at the height of the mid August season, from Herceg Novi to Ulcinj, and aerial firefighting began in the early morning hours.

Montenegro’s Interior Ministry said on the evening of August 15 that fires were active in five municipalities, with the worst situation in Herceg Novi and Ulcinj. The following morning confirmed that picture: fires remained active in Herceg Novi, Ulcinj, Niksic, Bar and Kotor.

The same statement named the location where the situation was most serious.

In Herceg Novi the most critical situation is above Djenovici, while a fire also broke out above Dragalj, in the Kotor municipality.

That put the Kotor municipality in the report alongside the Herceg Novi front.

What Burned Near Ulcinj?

In the Ulcinj municipality, fires are burning in Vladimir, Klezna, Gac, Zoganje, Briska Gora and Darza. Olive groves and mandarin orchards burned overnight, and the damage so far has been counted in trees, not hectares.

The most sensitive spot is the village of Klezna, where the flames reached a church. It is being defended by firefighters from Ulcinj and Zabljak, with help from local residents and aircraft. From Briska Gora, the fire reached the Ulcinj to Skadar regional road, near the turnoff for the village of Gorana.

Miodrag Besovic, director general of Montenegro’s Directorate for Protection and Rescue, gave RTCG an assessment that stood apart from the picture in the south.

The other locations affected by the fires are fairly stable, and there are no threatened houses or buildings.

Besovic also said what he expects in the coming hours.

I hope the wind will die down soon, and that the protection services and the aircraft pilots will successfully resolve the fire problems we have in Ulcinj.

How Many Firefighters and Vehicles Are on the Ground

The deployment of forces shows where the effort is concentrated:

• Herceg Novi: 73 firefighters with 20 vehicles
• Niksic: 50 firefighters with 10 vehicles
• Ulcinj: 14 soldiers with two off road vehicles and three fire trucks

Aircraft from the Interior Ministry and a helicopter from the Montenegrin Army are helping from the air. About 30 residents were evacuated as a precaution. Interior Minister Danilo Saranovic said all available resources have been deployed and that the priority is protecting human life, homes and natural resources, with bringing the fires under control coming only after that.

Herceg Novi, Bar and Niksic

On the Herceg Novi coast the fire stretches from Bijela to Zelenika. Around 11 a.m. a maestral wind reignited the flames in Bijelska Vala and pushed them toward Bijelske Krusevice, Kamenari, Repaji and Obalica, forcing crews who had started the morning with improved conditions back onto the same line.

In Bar, fires are burning on Golo Brdo and in Lisinj, but those fires do not currently threaten buildings. In Niksic, active fires are burning in Kusidi and on Strmina, meaning inland, far from the coast.

What sets the Ulcinj fire apart from the other hot spots is not its size but what has been lost under the flames. Citrus and olive trees are multi year crops, and the burned irrigation system on one property means the return to yield will be measured in years, not a single season. Aircraft have been over southern Montenegro since the early morning hours of August 16, and according to Besovic, all aerial firefighting resources have been directed specifically to Ulcinj.