Fires across Montenegro, international aid arriving

(Patria) - Podgorica woke up shrouded in smoke this morning, after large fires engulfed the capital and its surroundings the night before last and last night. The smell of burning is spreading over the entire area, while firefighters, the Army, and citizens tried to contain the fire all night.

The wind is hindering firefighting efforts. During the previous night, the most critical situation was in Piperi, where a new hotspot emerged, as well as in Smokovac and on Kakaricka Gora. Some houses have burned down on Kakaricka Gora.

After a difficult night and struggle with the fire in the Ćanj area, part of the Bar Protection and Rescue Service teams are extinguishing a new fire this morning in the Bar municipality, on Volujica hill.

The commander of the Bar Protection and Rescue Service, Aco Vulević, told Primorski portal that two fire trucks and two teams of firefighters are engaged in extinguishing the fire on Volujica, which broke out this morning.

For now, the fire on Volujica has not covered a large area.

This is the second day that Bar firefighters have been continuously extinguishing a fire that has been raging in Buljarica since Sunday evening, and yesterday in the early morning hours, it spread to Čanj.

Bar firefighters, who fought the fire in Čanj from early yesterday morning, managed to defend residential buildings and yards in this place during the hottest day recorded in Bar. The temperature of around 40 degrees Celsius further complicates the situation on the ground, where the temperature is significantly higher, and last night was also hot, and breathing was made difficult by the smoke from the fires.

Bar firefighters are on three locations this morning: in Čanj, Buljarica, and on Volujica, where they are making superhuman efforts to extinguish most of the fires before the stronger wind.

Vulević said that members of the Army of Montenegro are helping them on the ground, with a vehicle on land, and yesterday also from the air with an aircraft from the Ministry of Defense. Army members are also guarding a facility in Virpazar.

Volunteer associations from Boka and fire services from coastal municipalities, citizens, and businessmen are also helping.

“We gave our best and managed to save houses that were 30 meters away from the fire. Most of the terrain near Čanj is quite impassable, which further complicates firefighting,” said Vulević.