Fire on Plješevica: Landmines Block Firefighters
Bosnia's Presidency has given the green light for helicopter use, but the Armed Forces of BiH have the final say due to the mine-suspected terrain in the border area with Croatia.
Bosnia's Presidency has given the green light for helicopter use, but the Armed Forces of BiH have the final say due to the mine-suspected terrain in the border area with Croatia.
The fire that broke out last night in the Baljevac area above Bihać has spread to Plješevica mountain, a massif that stretches on both sides of the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The fire is burning in a hard-to-reach and mine-suspected area, preventing firefighters from directly approaching part of the blaze.
Local authorities say the situation is currently under control, but the mine danger seriously complicates the intervention. The Mayor of Bihać, Elvedin Sedić, emphasized that the relevant services had timely requested the involvement of the Armed Forces of BiH (AFBiH) in extinguishing the fire.
The request to put AFBiH and helicopters on standby was submitted earlier in the day, Sedić explained, although information was already circulating that the helicopter might not receive clearance to operate precisely because of the mines. After the Forestry Office, Fire Brigade, and Civil Protection provided additional field data and assessed the situation, a second request for the deployment of the aircraft was sent.
"The Presidency has approved our request, but the final decision depends on the AFBiH's assessment because, I repeat, this is a mined area," Sedić stated.
The Mayor of Bihać firmly rejected claims that help was not requested or that political motives influenced the actions of the relevant institutions.
"I am sorry that even in times of natural disasters, there are those for whom politics is more important than the real problem," Sedić said.
He particularly stressed that he will not send firefighters into a minefield, regardless of the circumstances.
"I would never, ever, ever send our firefighters into a minefield to put out a fire. NEVER. No hectare is more important than someone's life," he said.
In an earlier statement to N1 BiH, Sedić explained that the mined area prevents a quick response from the services, all according to the recommendation of BHMAC, the institution responsible for demining in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"BHMAC advised that people should not enter to risk their lives, but rather wait for the fire to reach an area above the current fire site. So, it's a forest road that the forestry service usually uses for extracting timber, and there, members of the Una-Sana Forests are waiting, with all the water barrels and backpacks ready. The entire team is on the ground waiting for the fire to break out into that area so they can start extinguishing it," said the Mayor of Bihać.
Witnesses on the ground reported that the fire is spreading and descending toward suburban settlements. Since Plješevica stretches right along the state border, the fire poses a direct threat to areas on the Croatian side as well.
