Firefighters are working to protect settlements near the Deliblato Sands as a large wildfire, which has consumed over 3,500 hectares, continues to spread amid high temperatures and strong winds.

Firefighters are currently defending the Grebenac and Trujno settlements in the Bela Crkva municipality as a wildfire in the Deliblato Sands continues to burn. The emergency situation has been declared in Trujno, Kajtasovo, and Grebenac due to the fire's expansion. Extremely strong winds and high temperatures are complicating suppression efforts, with local forecasts predicting temperatures reaching up to 42 degrees Celsius.

Firefighting operations and resources

A total of 417 personnel are currently on the ground fighting the blaze. Aerial support includes all helicopters from the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs and a Russian Ilyushin-76 aircraft, which arrived in Serbia on August 19. The aircraft, capable of dropping 42 tons of water per sortie, performed two drops by noon on Thursday. Additionally, the fire has disrupted natural gas supplies to consumers served by the main metering station in Bela Crkva.

Fire status and containment

The fire in the Deliblato Sands was first detected on July 21 and reportedly spiraled out of control on August 5. Currently, more than 3,500 hectares of forest and vegetation have been affected. While preventive evacuation has not yet been recommended for the threatened settlements, authorities have not ruled out the possibility if conditions worsen. Separately, a smaller three-hectare fire in the Maglic area near Kraljevo was localized as of 10:30 a.m. on Thursday.