AF BiH Helicopters Extinguishing Fire Near Trebinje

Two Mi-8 helicopters from the 1st and 2nd Helicopter Squadrons of the Air Force and Anti-Aircraft Defence Brigade of the Armed Forces of BiH have been engaged since early morning in extinguishing a fire in the area of Mount Viduša and the hills of Trebinje, municipality of Trebinje.

The AF BiH helicopters took off this morning from Rajlovac at six o'clock and upon arrival at the fire site, they immediately began extinguishing the fire. In the first sortie, the helicopters flew for three hours and dropped 21 buckets of water (52 tons). They have currently landed to refuel, after which they will continue their firefighting activities.  

Due to its proximity to a populated area, the fire, aided by wind and high external temperatures, poses a threat to residential buildings in this area.

The fire has engulfed about 5 hectares of forest and low vegetation, and due to the inaccessibility of the terrain and the inability of fire trucks to access it, the fire can only be extinguished from the air by helicopter.

The engagement of AF BiH helicopters is in accordance with the Cooperation Agreement between the Ministry of Defence of BiH and the Ministry of Security of BiH in the area of providing assistance to civil authorities in responding to natural or other disasters, and according to the standard operating procedures of the Armed Forces of BiH.

During the execution of the task, the crew adheres to all prescribed safety measures, and the result of all this is the very high-quality and professional execution of the firefighting task by the members of the 2nd Helicopter Squadron.