EU and Russia Back Serbia in Battling Major Wildfires
Al Jazeera Staff
EU helicopters and firefighters, alongside Russian aircraft, are helping Serbia battle large wildfires near Belgrade and in the southwest. Serbia requested support from both the EU and Russia after its own resources proved insufficient.
Helicopters and firefighters from several EU countries, including the Czech Republic and Romania, are working alongside Serbian forces to control a large wildfire that has burned for weeks in the Deliblatska Pescara nature reserve near the capital Belgrade, according to Serbian state media.
The operation continued into Monday, while RTS reported that another fire in the Stolovi mountains in southwestern Serbia had been brought under control with the help of a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 water-bombing aircraft.
RTS said a total of 168 tons of water were dropped on the two fires, with 126 tons over Deliblatska Pescara and 42 tons over Stolovi.
Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic described the situation as "extremely difficult," with more than 400 personnel deployed in the area each day.
President Aleksandar Vucic said Belgrade had turned to both the EU and Russia after realizing Serbia's own resources were insufficient. "As soon as we realized that our forces were no longer enough, we immediately requested emergency assistance from Russia and the European mechanism," he said.
Serbia is not an EU member but can request support under the bloc's Civil Protection Mechanism, a system that allows EU countries to mobilize emergency resources for disasters. Serbia formally sent its request last Friday.
The EU response includes four Black Hawk helicopters from Romania, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, along with firefighting teams and specialized vehicles from Germany and Romania. Some aircraft have been operating since the weekend; the rest of the deployment, including the German ground team, is expected to arrive before Monday.
The EU's mutual assistance system has worked both ways this summer. Serbia previously sent firefighting helicopters and response teams to Spain earlier in the fire season when multiple blazes strained the bloc's resources.
Wildfires are also spreading into North Macedonia, where a fire near the town of Strumica was reported to have damaged at least one house. A farmer named Ljubce Ivanski described it as "devouring everything," with strong winds hampering firefighting aircraft.
The wildfire season is underway across the Balkans due to an unusually hot and dry summer that has left much of the region prone to ignition. Just across the border, a large fire broke out over the weekend between Bosnia and Croatia, forcing the closure of the main road linking Trebinje to the tourist city of Dubrovnik, stranding thousands of travelers and prompting evacuations in several nearby villages. Croatian firefighters crossed the border to assist, with the blaze spreading over 16 kilometers of rugged terrain.
