Fire in the Planja area on Bovško partially contained, extinguishing to continue on Saturday morning
Settlements not threatened, road to Mangart Pass remains closed
A fire broke out on Planja at an altitude of around 1500 meters in the municipality of Bovec, which has so far affected approximately 12 hectares of forest. Firefighters have partially contained the fire, while on another part it continues to spread southwards. Extinguishing will continue at least into Saturday.
The Nova Gorica Police Administration reported that they were notified of the fire above the settlement of Strmec na Predelu or on Planja in the municipality of Bovec on Thursday shortly after 21:00, and the extensive firefighting intervention began at 05:00 in the morning. There were 95 firefighters from the fire associations of Bovec, Kobarid, Tolmin, Idrija and Cerkno on site. Foresters from the Slovenia Forest Service were also present at the fire site, which according to the latest data has affected approximately 12 hectares of terrain.
Due to the fire, Civil Protection Commander Srečko Šestan activated the national protection and rescue plan. This enables the engagement of additional forces and resources for protection, rescue and assistance from across the country, the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief reported. The command of the Firefighters Association of Slovenia was also activated, operating on the basis of the adopted method of activating interregional assistance.
Fortunately, there is no settlement near the fire, so residents are not in danger. "The firefighters are still in the greatest danger, as the terrain is steep and difficult to access," said Logar. Firefighters had several water tankers positioned on the road to Mangart, and for extinguishing they need high-pressure hoses, so the help of firefighting aircraft and a helicopter came in handy.
According to Dejan Logar, spokesperson for the Bovec Firefighters Association, they managed to somewhat stop the fire in one part, while in other parts it continues to spread southwards. Weather conditions, namely heat and wind, also hinder the firefighters' work, so extinguishing will certainly be necessary at least into Saturday, Logar announced. "Until the first rain we will simply try to keep the fire under control, then only rain will save us," said Uroš Kemper, commander of the Bovec Firefighters Association, to Radio Slovenija.
Night intervention suspended, extinguishing to continue on Saturday morning
After a full day of extinguishing the extensive fire, the firefighters withdrew in the evening and will continue extinguishing in the morning. In Odmevi, Kemper explained that 94 firefighters participated in the intervention during the day. "There will be no night watch, the terrain is very demanding. Fortunately there were no serious injuries, one person injured their knee." He added that they are concerned about possible wind on Saturday.
Regional assistance from the Gorenjska firefighters region with two firefighting units and necessary equipment is also planned for Saturday. The remaining firefighting units of the home region from GZ Goriška Nova Gorica, Nova Gorica-Šempeter, Vipava and Ajdovščina and units from the Obalno-kraška region remain on standby in their home area due to weather conditions and very high fire risk.
The fire broke out in the same area where it had already burned on Tuesday, Kemper had said earlier. "Apparently one ember went down the slope, so the fire broke out again and spread across the entire slope. It is a huge area, but the size is difficult to assess as it spreads south and east. In this area there is dwarf pine, beech and spruce forest. It is a ground fire, but it is very dangerous as the terrain is rocky and a lot of stones roll, so we fear possible injuries. We have established two firefighting lines approximately 600 meters long, most likely we will do a third," he said.
Firefighters urge visitors to Lake Bohinj to move away from air tractors
The Mountain Rescue Service Bovec also helped with extinguishing using a drone; the aerial firefighting unit of the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief was activated with air tractor aircraft that took water from Lake Bohinj, and a military helicopter was subsequently also included in the intervention. "The helicopter took water in Log pod Mangartom, now we have agreed that it will take water from Lake Rabelj," Kemper explained. He added that a special international permit was needed for this, while the air tractors had to take water from Lake Bohinj as Lake Rabelj has too short a distance.
The Bovec Firefighters Association also warned that the air tractors had some difficulties taking water from Lake Bohinj as some visitors did not follow the instructions of the firefighters who were at the lake. Therefore all people in the area were urged to follow the instructions of the competent authorities. As Director of the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief Leon Behin explained at Thursday's press conference, a so-called safe corridor must be established for water collection with air tractors. According to him, they need approximately one kilometer to collect water and take off safely.
Road to Mangart Pass closed until further notice
As reported by the Public Institute for Tourism Dolina Soče, due to the fire in the Planja area the road to Mangart Pass is closed until further notice. Public transport to Mangart Pass is also not operating at the moment. For safety reasons, visitors are advised against traveling towards Mangart Pass by car, bicycle or on foot, reported Radio Koper journalist Mariša Bizjak.
As the commander of the Bovec firefighters association also warned, the problem was that the road was open in the morning. "Tourists are returning to the valley and there is no public transport, so we must ensure that we safely transport them to the valley with vans," he explained.
Police officers also urge all citizens and visitors not to approach the intervention area, to follow the instructions of the emergency services and police and not to hinder the work of firefighters and other emergency teams of the protection and rescue forces on site with their actions.
High fire risk to the natural environment declared for the entire country
The police also again warn that due to dry and hot weather there is an increased risk of fires starting and spreading in the natural environment. The Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief has therefore also declared a high fire risk to the natural environment for the entire country, while a very high fire risk applies to the municipalities of Koper, Sežana, Divača, Hrpelje - Kozina, Komen, Nova Gorica, Miren - Kostanjevica and Renče - Vogrsko.
Therefore all visitors to nature, hikers, landowners and forest users are urged to act with particular responsibility and caution. Even the slightest carelessness, such as a discarded cigarette butt, improper disposal of ash or sparking when using devices and machines, can cause a fire in a dry environment, which can quickly spread and endanger people, animals, property and the natural environment.
If despite caution a fire breaks out in nature, individuals should only extinguish the initial fire if it can be done safely and without endangering their own life or health. Every fire must be reported immediately to the regional notification center on telephone number 112 and the most precise location of the fire must be provided. In case of immediate danger to people or property, the police must also be notified on the emergency number 113.
Source:
https://www.rtvslo.si/crna-kronika/pozar-na-obmocju-planje-na-bovskem-delno-omejen-gasenje-se-bo-nadaljevalo-v-soboto-zjutraj/789598