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Civil protection

Fires in Bosnia: Croatian Canadairs as reinforcements

(credit: Croatian Ministry of Defence)
(credit: Croatian Ministry of Defence)

(BRUSSELS2) Faced with forest fires in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the EU emergency response center has decided to intervene again. Two Croatian Canadair CL 415 water bombers from the 93rd anti-fire squadron were dispatched to the scene on Friday (August 23), one under the command of Captain Davor Turković, the other of Captain Darko Kučaj. This within the framework of the civil protection mechanism (*) which makes it possible to finance emergency aid. A first deployment of aircraft took place in early August. The worsening of the situation made it necessary to repeat the operation.

Homes under threat

The fires have been raging since the beginning of August in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as more generally in the Balkans (and in Portugal as well). The Donja Jablanica region has been particularly engulfed in flames since the summer. The fire threatening homes. Despite the intervention of helicopter water bombers, carried out on August 21 and 22, the fire in the Slatina area quickly spread down the slopes of Okorusa towards the dwellings on one side and on the other, towards the regional road M-16-2, threatening the Jablanica hydroelectric production plant. Bosnia and Herzegovina only has water bomber helicopters, which are not enough to put out the flames.

Ministry of Defense Fire Squad

The Sarajevo government has therefore requested European aid and that of its neighbour, Croatia. The decision in principle on the participation of Croatian firefighting crews had been taken by the Croatian government, during a telephone meeting on August 7, with the prior approval of the Croatian President and the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, with immediate deployment. Croatia's firefighting air force depends on the Ministry of Defence, which notably has 6 Canadairs CL 415 and Mi-8 and 177-S helicopters converted into water bombers.

(*) the mechanism concerns 32 countries (the "28" Member States + Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Fyrom/Macedonia.

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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