Montenegro Fires: Niksic Worst Hit, Planes Battle Blaze

Montenegro’s Interior Ministry said this morning, Friday, September 5, that most of the wildfires burning across the country are now under control, but that firefighting and rescue crews are continuing to battle blazes at several locations with the help of planes and helicopters. For Serbian tourists still passing through Montenegro’s coast and the mountainous belt around Niksic and Durmitor at the end of summer, the smoke visible from the main roads in recent days is more than a local story. It is a reminder that the region’s fire season is not over yet.

According to the ministry’s morning update, active fires are still burning at nineteen locations across eight municipalities. In Podgorica, fires are burning in Kuce, at the Krzanja and Stravic sites, while in Cetinje fires are active near Bijela Poljana and at Lastva. Niksic has the most active fire sites, with blazes burning at Bijela Poljana, in Vitasojevici and Milojevici, at Gradacka Poljana, on Golija, Vojnik, Praga and Jezevo Brdo. In Kolasin, fires are burning on Crni Vrh and Maganik, in Pluzine at Barni Do and Lisina, in Savnik along the Vojnik to Krusevice stretch, in Danilovgrad at Ponikvica, and in Plav at Lisica, where the fire has been localized. The Interior Ministry (MUP) says all of the fires listed are under control, while the Niksic Protection and Rescue Service reports that conditions overnight were extremely difficult and that the situation remains most critical in the Praga area.

Where are the planes and helicopters flying today?

Niksic’s firefighters will again be assisted today by the Montenegrin Army and its aviation and helicopter unit. Bojan Bijelovic of the Niksic Protection and Rescue Service laid out the schedule for this morning’s firefighting effort.

“This morning at nine o’clock, helicopters will fight the fires in Milojevici and Vitasovici, while planes will fight the fires at Bijela Poljana and above Brocanac,” Bijelovic said.

Two additional crews were also sent out this morning to Jasenovo Polje. Ahead of that, the head of the Protection and Rescue Service, Slavko Tadic, described the previous day as an exhausting one for every crew involved.

“We have forest fires on Golija and in Zupa, which were contained early on. There was also fire near Budos. We have a lot of work and a lot of problems,” Tadic said.

How much water has been dropped from the air

Aircraft were heavily engaged in firefighting at multiple locations throughout the previous day. An Antonov AN-32P plane flew three sorties and dropped a total of 24 tons of water. One Air Tractor AT-802 plane flew 18 rotations, dropping a combined 54 tons of water over fires in the Cetinje and Niksic areas, while the two other AT-802 planes in Montenegro’s fleet were not included in that particular tally for the day. Two Bel 412 helicopters belonging to the Montenegrin Army were deployed to fight fires in the Crni Vrh and Velje Duboko area, logging a combined flight time of six hours and ten minutes across 22 sorties, during which they dropped 23 tons of water.

The Interior Ministry said its 112 Operations and Communications Center is continuously monitoring how the situation is developing and coordinating activities with the relevant services, so that available resources can be directed where they are needed most in a timely manner. The relevant services, the ministry said, remain on full alert, with conditions at the fire sites being continuously monitored and assessed and every available measure being taken to protect residents and property.

A new update from the MUP is expected later today, once planes and helicopters complete their planned sorties over Niksic, Kolasin and Plav.