The fire that has been burning in the Bosansko Grahovo area for more than two weeks is still active, and the area it covers is estimated to be between 15 and 20 square kilometers, Marino Vidović from the Civil Protection Administration of Canton 10 told Fena news agency.
A helicopter of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been deployed to the fire site again since this morning, while eight members of the Federal Specialized Civil Protection Unit for extinguishing fires in open areas are also coming to help the teams on the ground.
The federal unit will have three tankers and several vehicles at its disposal, and their engagement should further strengthen the forces that have been trying to stop the spread of the fire for days.
Along with them, employees of the Bosansko Grahovo Forestry Department, members of the Korita DVD and civil protection are on the ground.
Vidović says that the two most important lines of defense against the further spread of the fire are currently the wide macadam forestry road above the village of Peulje, which serves as a natural fire barrier for the teams.
The fire has come within about 50 meters of the road in some places, and the teams’ activities are focused on preventing it from crossing to the other side and further approaching populated areas.
It is difficult to say about the extent of the damage to the forest areas for now. Ivica Grgić, assistant manager of the Grahovo Forestry Department, told Fena that the tall beech forests on the edge of the fire area have not been affected by the fire to a greater extent, but that the burned area is large and includes clearings and coppice forests.
Grgić also warned of deep soil burning. According to his information, in some places the ground is burning up to half a meter deep, which is why the fire is reactivating even after it seems to have been extinguished on the surface.
The Mountain Rescue Service of Canton 10 is also involved in monitoring the situation, and at the request of the Bosansko Grahovo Fire Department, it conducted a reconnaissance of part of the fire area with a drone in order to gain a better insight into the condition and direction of the fire’s spread.
Light rain has begun to fall in the Grahovo area, and larger amounts of precipitation are expected during the day, which, along with the engagement of people and equipment, could help stabilize the situation at the fire site.
