[INTERNATIONAL] · Czechia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Albania · 29 sources

7 days ago

Part of situation: Uborak landfill fire persists amid regional heatwave (17 clusters)

Balkans battle widespread forest fires amid extreme heat

forest fires Balkans heat wave helicopter firefighting evacuation

A series of forest and grassland fires have erupted across the Balkans and Central Europe as a heat wave pushes temperatures to 40 °C. In the Czech Republic, a blaze between Šimanov and Kakánov burned about seven hectares, prompting the deployment of 150 firefighters, 17 units and a Black Hawk helicopter. Croatia reported 48.6 ha of burned open‑space vegetation over two days, with 158 interventions involving 216 fire organisations, 781 firefighters, 263 vehicles and 18 water‑dropping aircraft. In Serbia, the Deliblatska peščara fire spread over more than 200 ha, requiring H145, H215 Super Puma and Kamov Ka‑32 helicopters; a forest‑worker was injured during the operation. Another Serbian blaze near Zaječar consumed roughly 100 ha of dry grass, endangering a closed uranium mine, which was protected by a Kamov Ka‑32 helicopter. Bosnia and Herzegovina saw several fires, including a five‑hectare blaze in Kladanj that was reignited by wind. Greece also faced multiple forest fires amid the heat wave, with temperatures reaching 40 °C and a fatality reported near Belgrade. Authorities in Croatia have introduced strict penalties for open‑fire violations, with fines up to €1 900 and up to 60 days imprisonment. Across the region, fire services have used helicopters, air‑tankers, bulldozers and ground crews, while urging residents to avoid open fires and to report any outbreaks immediately.

Entities

Albanian Interior Minister Besfort Lamaralli · Athens · Besfort Lamaralli · Bojan Jagodić · Bosnian fire brigades · Croatian Ministry of the Interior · Croatian fire service · Czech Firefighters · Federal Hydrometeorological Institute · Federal Institute for Agropedology · French Ministry of the Interior · Greek Fire Service

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 2 SOURCES] Long‑term monitoring of the Uborak site is planned for six to twelve months after the fire. (Uborak landfill fire article)
[● 2 SOURCES] Laboratory analysis of the soil samples is ongoing. (Uborak landfill fire article)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Mayor Maria Kordić ordered the soil sampling to assess fire impact at Uborak. (Uborak landfill fire article)
[● 2 SOURCES] The Federal Institute for Agropedology collected 30 soil samples on 15 July from the Uborak site. (Uborak landfill fire article)
[● 2 SOURCES] A fire started on Monday at 21:54 at the Uborak landfill near Mostar. (Uborak landfill fire article)
[● 2 SOURCES] A larger fire affected the Uborak landfill in early July. (Uborak landfill fire article)
[● 2 SOURCES] One team of three firefighters is monitoring the Uborak landfill fire site. (Uborak landfill fire article)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Wind‑direction data from the Federal Hydrometeorological Institute were used to select sampling sites at Uborak. (Uborak landfill fire article)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Albanian interior minister Besfort Lamaralli said the fire near Delvine and Finic is critical and urged residents to follow safety instructions. (Albania southern fire)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Serbian fire chief Bojan Jagodić warned that about 90 % of fires are caused by human negligence and that a heat wave will increase fire risk. (Serbia heat‑wave fires)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Croatia reported 48.6 hectares of burned open‑space vegetation over 3‑4 August, with 158 fire interventions involving 216 fire organisations, 781 firefighters, 263 vehicles and 18 water‑dropping air‑t (7ed6d28d-8e59-46f6-bd6e-8f45867833a8)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Greece reported multiple forest fires amid a heat wave with temperatures up to 40 °C, and a fatality occurred near Belgrade in Serbia. (582efe84-cb1a-401d-a2fe-92ec4d0f20d3)