New fire erupts in Ibar Valley; suspected faulty power grid blamed

A new wildfire has erupted near Serbia's Ibar Valley, specifically between the villages of Kaone and Lopatnica. The blaze is currently consuming over 15 hectares of land, primarily low vegetation, but has also spread into a section of forest. The fire poses a risk of encroaching on nearby homes if it crosses to the other side.

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Yesterday, around the afternoon, villages Lopatnica, Stanča, all the way to Proplanica lost power, and after that, we learned that wires had broken on a smaller power line passing through our village and going towards Propljenica and Tolišnica, and that these wires fell on dry grass, causing sparks and the fire itself.

Efforts to contain the fire are underway, involving around 50 firefighters from Kraljevo, Čačak, and Lučani, along with workers from Srbijašume and local residents from Kaone. These combined forces are working to halt its advance.

Speculation regarding the cause of this latest fire points towards issues with the power grid. Residents reported a power outage in Lopatnica, Stanča, and Proplanica on the previous afternoon. Following the outage, it was discovered that wires on a smaller power line passing through the village had broken, falling onto dry grass and igniting the fire. This incident occurred in the vicinity of Propljenica village.

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The fire broke out in the fields of Propljenica village.

Meanwhile, other fires remain active across Serbia. A fire near Stolovi, close to Kraljevo, continues to smolder despite efforts to contain it. Firefighters and volunteers have managed to surround the area and are actively working to extinguish the flames. The Ministry of Interior reports that twenty fires are currently active throughout the country.

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The inaccessible part remains, the valley of the Tolišnica river (Lopatnica) - it is very steep, dry, and the fire, due to the wind, threatens to spread very quickly.