Three Interior Ministry helicopters deployed as new fires flare in Deliblato Sands

New fires have flared in Deliblato Sands, with smoke from the Šušara road visible as far away as Kovin. Officials said the flames appeared at several points within an area that had already burned.

Nedeljko Gagić, head of the Fire and Rescue Units Directorate, told N1 that underground hotspots, strengthened by strong winds, were making the firefighting effort more difficult.

A Russian Ilyushin aircraft made two passes over the area before being redirected to Suva Planina, where it was also helping to contain a fire. Three helicopters from Serbia's Interior Ministry were deployed, while about 300 professional and volunteer firefighters worked from the ground wherever the terrain allowed.

The strongest hotspot was in the northern part of the burned zone. Firefighters also worked to prevent the flames from spreading toward Devojački Bunar. Authorities said the fires had weakened considerably after the Ilyushin's flights, but ground units continued extinguishing the remaining hotspots.