Fire breaks out again in Deliblato Sands as Ilyushin returns to fight the blaze

Fire has broken out again in Deliblato Sands near the Šušara road, including a strip that had not burned before. The area lies within territory already classified as burned, but the flames have now reached previously unaffected ground, according to Nedeljko Gagić, head of Serbia’s Fire and Rescue Units Administration.

Information from the scene indicates that strong wind gusts and underground hotspots broke through the fire line. Patrols with off-road vehicles are positioned around the perimeter, while video surveillance tracks the terrain. Crews respond whenever they detect a new underground hotspot, aiming to stop it from spreading and keep the fire localized.

A Russian Ilyushin aircraft has joined the operation again after spending the previous two days fighting a fire on Suva Planina. Helicopters are not currently being used.

The large number of underground hotspots remains a major problem. Between 100 and 150 appear each day, particularly in the afternoon, and any one of them could bring the fire back to the surface and turn it into a crown fire. Officials estimate that several days of rain may be needed to extinguish them completely, since new hotspots can emerge in different parts of the terrain.

Smoke from Deliblato Sands has been visible in Kovin and the nearby village of Mramorak, viewers and readers of N1 reported. Firefighters have been battling the blaze since the end of July, and the fire burned continuously for more than two weeks from August 5. EU countries and Russia have helped Serbia fight it, with Russia sending the Ilyushin aircraft at Serbia’s request.

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The fire is now affecting a strip that had not burned before, although it lies within an area that has already burned.