Bovec wildfire on Planja hill continues as over 100 firefighters battle 12‑hectare blaze

A forest fire broke out on Thursday evening on the steep, hard‑to‑reach terrain of Planja near the town of Bovec in north‑western Slovenia. The blaze has burned roughly 12 hectares and is fed by new underground hotspots, with falling rocks, roots and trees posing additional spread risks.

More than 100 firefighters from the Bovec, Kobarid, Tolmin, Tržič, Škofja Loka, Cerkno, Bled‑Bohinj and Idrija fire brigades have been deployed. Aerial support includes three Air Tractor water‑bombers drawing water from the northern part of Bohinj Lake and a Slovene army helicopter. In the first two days over 260,000 liters of water have been dropped. The Strmec‑Mangart road remains closed and flight operations around Planja and Bohinj Lake are restricted.

Civil protection commander Srečko Šestan activated the national emergency plan, mobilising additional resources from the Gorenjska region. Red fire‑danger warnings stay in force for the Primorska and central Slovenian areas amid an ongoing heat wave.