RUNIĆ: FIRE 800 METERS FROM HOMES, WIND HAMPERING FIREFIGHTING EFFORTS

DRVAR, SEPTEMBER 7 /SRNA/ - The fire in the village of Poljice near Drvar is still active, and due to strong winds, the flames have approached homes to within about 800 meters, Drvar Mayor Dušica Runić told SRNA.

"Forestry service personnel are on the ground, and Glamoč has also sent assistance. We need a lot of people to stop the fire from advancing toward the village because the terrain is inaccessible to water tankers," Runić said. She warned that the situation was by no means harmless and recalled that a helicopter belonging to the Armed Forces of BiH, that broke down, had also been used to fight the fire in the area yesterday. Runić doubts that the helicopter will be able to arrive today, given that several fires are currently active in the FBiH. She said she was awaiting information from the field on whether additional personnel should be alerted to help fight the fire, noting that they had requested assistance from Istočni Drvar, Glamoč and neighboring municipalities. Runić stressed that a fire is also active in the village of Boboljusci, which previously belonged to Drvar but is now part of Bihać. "Last night at 22:00, local residents themselves created a firebreak to protect their homes. The situation was somewhat better this morning. The fire is still burning, residents are defending their homes and are left to fend for themselves because Plješevica is also on fire in the Bihać area," Runić said. The fire in the Drvar municipality broke out on Saturday, September 5.