Feuer auf dem Fallschirm, aktiviert auch die Air-Tractor

A massive forest fire broke out on Thursday evening near the village of Strmec in the municipality of Bovec, Slovenia, and spread rapidly through the night over steep and rocky terrain. The fire was captured on camera by the Agency for the Environment of the Republic of Slovenia (Arso), which recorded rising smoke above the tree canopy on Planja early Thursday evening. By nighttime, the flames had intensified, with glowing embers visible in the dark. Firefighters have been working on the ground since early morning, supported by three AirTractor aircraft and a helicopter. The blaze covers a larger area above Bovec, and the difficult terrain, steep slopes and rocks, complicates efforts to extinguish it. According to Uroš Kemper, commander of the Bovec Fire Department, the fire will likely take several days to put out. The fire has occurred during a period of high environmental fire danger, with dry and hot weather conditions expected to continue in the coming days. Authorities have warned that the risk of wildfires in nature remains elevated across the country. Open fires are prohibited throughout the nation under the current state of heightened fire danger. The fire started on inaccessible terrain at an altitude of 1,600 meters. Firefighters managed to reach the site using nearly a kilometer of hoses, drawing water from a high-pressure pump located 170 meters above sea level. The fire, initially covering an area of 100 meters by 50 meters, was quickly contained and extinguished. A total of 23 firefighters from the Bovec, Log pod Mangartom, and Srpenica fire departments were involved in the operation. Two AirTractor planes dropped 12,000 liters of water in four runs. Volunteer firefighting associations from Bohinjska Bistrica, Stara Fužina, and the Bohinj Water Rescue Team provided security while the planes drew water from Lake Bohinj. Police were also informed about the incident. Since the beginning of July, large environmental fire danger has been declared in much of the Primorska region. Due to predicted intense heat waves, authorities plan to reassess the fire danger status in these days. General Director of the Administration Leon Behin explained that large environmental fire danger has been declared in parts of Primorska and will be extended nationwide this week. On Thursday, Behin will present activities related to fire prevention at the military base Letališča Jožeta Pučnika, while Mitja Vidmar, head of the aerial firefighting unit, will explain how AirTractor planes operate during wildfires. Firefighters, civil protection teams, and the Slovenian Army received praise from Prime Minister Janez Janša for their efforts in fighting the fire on a challenging mountainous terrain. The fire did not expand significantly during the day and remained localized. However, new underground ignitions posed a challenge. The fire is still active, and operations will continue tomorrow. Falling rocks and roots could potentially spread the fire further. Today’s firefighting effort involved 108 firefighters from multiple fire departments, including Bovec, Tolmin, Kranjska Gora, Cerkno, Idrija, Kokra, and Cerklje. Firefighting aircraft AirTractor and a military helicopter assisted in the effort. According to reports from the administration's social media page, two AirTractor planes dropped 66,000 liters of water in 22 drops, while the military helicopter dropped 64,000 liters of water in 38 drops. Igor Hrastnik from the national aerial firefighting unit stated that more than 260,000 liters of water had been dropped in the past two days. Water was drawn from Lake Bohinj for firefighting operations. Visitors to the lake hindered water collection on Friday, but conditions improved today, although some individuals continued to disrupt the work of the aircraft. Authorities urged visitors to avoid the northern part of the lake on Sunday. Officials, including Chief of Civil Protection Srečko Šestan, Deputy Commander of the Slovenian Fire Service Marko Adamič, and Mayor of Bovec Valter Mlekuž, visited the fire site. Šestan emphasized that additional forces would arrive in Bovec on Sunday, including 90 firefighters from Northern Primorska and Gorenjska regions, along with aircraft and helicopters. Firefighting will continue until the first rain, according to Uroš Kemper, the head of firefighting. Prime Minister Janša thanked firefighters, civil protection teams, and the Slovenian Army for their efforts in combating the fire on a difficult mountainous terrain, despite the avoidance of mountain storms. The fire covered 12 hectares of inaccessible terrain. Firefighters successfully contained the fire on Planja in Bovec, announced the Administration for Protection and Rescue. Operations concluded today, and firefighting will continue on Sunday, likely with aerial support. During the day, the fire did not spread and remained contained. New underground ignitions presented a challenge. The fire is still active, and operations will continue tomorrow. Falling rocks and roots could potentially spread the fire further. Today’s firefighting effort involved 108 firefighters from multiple fire departments, including Bovec, Tolmin, Kranjska Gora, Cerkno, Idrija, Kokra, and Cerklje. Firefighting aircraft AirTractor and a military helicopter assisted in the effort. According to reports from the administration's social media page, two AirTractor planes dropped 66,000 liters of water in 22 drops, while the military helicopter dropped 64,000 liters of water in 38 drops. Igor Hrastnik from the national aerial firefighting unit stated that more than 260,000 liters of water had been dropped in the past two days. Water was drawn from Lake Bohinj for firefighting operations. Visitors to the lake hindered water collection on Friday, but conditions improved today, although some individuals continued to disrupt the work of the aircraft. Authorities urged visitors to avoid the northern part of the lake on Sunday. Officials, including Chief of Civil Protection Srečko Šestan, Deputy Commander of the Slovenian Fire Service Marko Adamič, and Mayor of Bovec Valter Mlekuž, visited the fire site. Šestan emphasized that additional forces would arrive in Bovec on Sunday, including 90 firefighters from Northern Primorska and Gorenjska regions, along with aircraft and helicopters. Firefighting will continue until the first rain, according to Uroš Kemper, the head of firefighting. Prime Minister Janša thanked firefighters, civil protection teams, and the Slovenian Army for their efforts in combating the fire on a difficult mountainous terrain, despite the avoidance of mountain storms. In Greece, numerous forest fires are spreading due to strong winds across several parts of the country, keeping the nation in the highest alert level. The worst situation is in the northwestern area around Athens, where authorities have ordered evacuations again. Firefighters are also battling blazes on the Peloponnese Peninsula and Crete. A new fire has erupted in southern France. Greek authorities have declared the highest level of fire danger in the wider Athens area, with the largest fire burning approximately 60 kilometers northwest of the capital. The fire is spreading over a wide front, and thick smoke is visible even from Athens, according to German news agency DPA. Authorities have preemptively evacuated several villages today. At the time of reporting, 325 firefighters, 92 fire trucks, 18 aircraft, and seven helicopters are involved in the firefighting efforts. Forest fires are also raging on the Peloponnese Peninsula, where firefighters are battling flames at 73 locations. On Crete, the situation has slightly improved since the fire outbreak on Wednesday, after firefighters managed to contain the flames on the south of the island. Despite this, around 220 firefighters remain on the island, and strong winds continue to complicate aerial firefighting efforts and cause new smaller outbreaks. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, and there is suspicion that damaged electrical infrastructure might be responsible, according to reports compiled by Greek media cited by DPA. A major fire is also being fought in southern France. In the Var department, between Marseille and Cannes, the fire reignited on Friday and spread quickly, prompting authorities to evacuate approximately 2,500 people. The fire destroyed about a thousand hectares of land within a few hours, and around 720 firefighters are involved in the effort. Massive fires fueled by extreme heat, drought, and strong winds have scorched vast areas of Spain and southwestern France, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.