Blidinje fire threatens cabins and church in Masna Luka

A wildfire that broke out on Friday, September 18, near Masna Luka in Blidinje Nature Park, at the foot of Mount Cvrsnica in Herzegovina, shows how much the Balkans now depend on cross border firefighting cooperation, the same kind of help Serbia counts on during its own fire season. Neither Bosnia and Herzegovina nor Serbia own Canadair water bomber aircraft, so once again the fight to save a settlement, its cabins and an old church rested on Croatian planes, just as Serbia would turn to its neighbors in the reverse situation.

The fire spread through pine forest, grass and low brush during the day and moved toward the trail leading to Blidinje. According to on the ground reporting from Bljesak.info and Telegram.hr, cabins in Masna Luka were under threat, and social media posts showed the flames approaching the settlement’s well known church. The situation worsened further in the afternoon: reports published at 5:38 p.m. said residents were being evacuated as the fire closed in on homes.

The Professional Firefighting Unit of Posusje confirmed it was dealing with a serious fire spreading through the pine forest. Drago Martinovic, head of the Civil Protection Administration of West Herzegovina Canton, said at the height of the emergency that nearby cabins were in danger and that every available crew had been sent to the scene. Bljesak.info and Telegram.hr reported that firefighters from three Herzegovina administrative units took part: Herzegovina-Neretva Canton and West Herzegovina Canton, with the third named by both outlets as Herzeg-Bosnia Canton. RTRS, covering the same fire as a separate story in Blidinje Nature Park, instead referred to crews from Livno Canton, the name used in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the same territory Croatian media call Herzeg-Bosnia Canton.

“Two Canadair aircraft from Croatia have been fighting the fire the whole time, and according to the latest information the situation is not good and the cabins are under threat,” Martinovic told Bljesak.info and Telegram.hr in the afternoon.

Firefighting vehicles could not reach part of the fire because of the rugged terrain, leaving much of the effort to the two Canadair aircraft that had arrived from Croatia the previous day and resumed flying at 11 a.m. on Friday. Ground crews had a harder time still as the fire spread through the forest, and Telegram.hr reported flames rising dozens of meters above the treetops while thick smoke covered the surrounding area.

After several hours of firefighting, the blaze near Masna Luka was brought under control. “Thanks to the great help of the Croatian Canadair aircraft, the fire in Masna Luka has been brought under control,” the Civil Protection Administration of West Herzegovina Canton announced, as reported by Telegram.hr. The cabins and the church in the settlement were saved, and firefighting crews stayed on site to monitor the burned area and prevent it from flaring up again.

The relief is not complete. RTRS reported that light rain had begun falling over the affected area but had not brought significant relief, while the separate fire on Mount Cvrsnica itself remained active and continued to spread, according to emergency services. Federal media reported that fighting both fires is extremely difficult because of terrain firefighting vehicles cannot cross, which keeps aircraft essential to the effort. How long that second front on Cvrsnica will last now depends on the weather, and on whether the Croatian Canadair planes end up needed at a third location in the region.