VUKADIN: TWO FIRES ON TREBEVIĆ HAVE FLARED UP AGAIN

ISTOČNO SARAJEVO, AUGUST 26 /SRNA/ - Two fires on Mount Trebević flared up again today, the head of the Istočno Sarajevo Territorial Fire and Rescue Unit, Njegoš Vukadin, told SRNA.

Vukadin said that the fires on Trebević had been completely extinguished over the previous 24 hours and that no one had noticed smoke or any other signs of the fires reigniting until this morning. “It just suddenly appeared in two places. It’s not a huge area, but in one spot the fire has spread slightly into the forest. We were able to reach it with fire trucks and lay out hoses because there is an access road,” Vukadin explained. He added that the fire at the second location was being extinguished in low vegetation, grass and other plant life, and that firefighters, vehicles and sufficient quantities of water had been deployed at the site. Vukadin stressed that Trebević is a karst terrain where fire can remain underground, in the soil, holes and among rocks, smouldering for several days before strong winds reignite and spread it. “It only takes a small piece of wood, a leaf with a little twig, for the wind to carry it over. In weather like this, when everything is dry, and we haven’t had any rainfall for a long time, that is enough,” Vukadin said. He stressed that firefighters were deploying all available resources, but at the same time had to ensure that enough personnel and equipment remained available to protect populated areas in the Istočno Sarajevo area. “I hope we will bring it fully under control again,” Vukadin said. Speaking about the possible cause of the fire reigniting, Vukadin said he did not even want to consider the possibility that someone could have deliberately started the fire or done so with malicious intent, but believed that the cause of the fire’s re-emergence should be sought in natural conditions. “I think this is partly a matter of nature. There has been no rainfall, and temperatures are very high,” Vukadin said.