SERBIA: About 5,000 hectares of forests on some 100 locations in Serbia are currently on fire
- 00:00:16
- ITN Source
SERBIA: About 5,000 hectares of forests on some 100 locations in Serbia are currently on fire
Forests in Serbia have been ravaged by flames for more than a week, blamed on record-high temperatures after the dry winter. Fire-fighters, soldiers and volunteers battled wildfires across the Serbia on Wednesday (July 25) as a persistent heat wave broke temperature records. Firefighters was battling 100 fires affecting 5,000 hectares of forest on what meteorologists predicted would be the hottest day of the year, with the temperature topping 43 degrees Celsius (109 Fahrenheit). Emergencies were declared in the worst-hit areas and endangered inhabitants were being evacuated. Some fires were suspected to be the work of aspiring developers taking advantage of the moment to clear land for building. In the Stara Planina mountain region, an Il-76 fire fighting plane of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry arrived to help Serbian firefighters extinguish the flames. The plane was backed by several volunteers and Serbian soldiers who were fighting the fires, plus flag carrier JAT airways said it would be drafting its small crop-dusting fleet to help. Some 500 men are currently deployed in the region battling the disaster, while 2,500 are on stand-by. In the capital Belgrade, temperatures measured 43 Celsius and rising in mid-afternoon, eclipsing a record set 81 years ago. Serbian weather experts said it as the longest heat wave on record, with eight consecutive days over 35 Celsius (95 Fahrenheit).
ITN Source | July 26, 2007
