A major forest fire on Mount Risovac, in the municipality of Bosansko Grahovo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, remains active and continues to spread, with the fire front reaching almost 15 kilometers.
The fire threatened the village of Podgora, located about 1.5 kilometers from the blaze, while the settlement of Uništa, in Bosnia and Herzegovina near the Croatian border, was also at risk during the day, Klix.ba reported. Croatian firefighting teams and firefighters managed to protect homes in the area.
Firefighting efforts are being hampered by difficult terrain, a lack of forest roads, strong winds and heavy smoke. A helicopter operated by the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina was deployed again in the afternoon, with operations planned until 7:45 p.m.
In North Macedonia, the fire that broke out near the village of Čanište, in the Prilep area, continues to spread toward the village of Kruševica, the PRV portal reported. Stojanče Angelov, director of the Directorate for Protection and Rescue, said the fire is currently approximately halfway between the two villages, while the long fire front is making it difficult to bring the blaze under control. Around 30 volunteers are on the ground. The goal is to reduce the intensity of the fire and bring it under control, but Angelov warned that, given its scale, it is not realistic to expect it to be completely extinguished quickly.
In Montenegro, according to the latest update from the Directorate for Protection and Rescue, the situation is more stable, the Vijesti portal reported. Fires in the Ulcinj area, near Vladimir, in Herceg Novi, in the Baošići-Đenovići area, in Danilovgrad, in the Ponikvica area, and in Kolašin, at Velje Duboko, remain active but are under control. Fires at the Klezna-Gač-Zoganje-Briska Gora sites in the municipality of Ulcinj have been contained and are under control. Rainfall in Herceg Novi and Kotor further helped reduce the intensity of the fires and contain them. During the day, an AT-802 firefighting aircraft operated by the Ministry of Interior and a Bell 412 helicopter belonging to the Army operated in the Herceg Novi area.
A video from the Croatian island of Ugljan shows, according to the portal and the reader who submitted it, a person inside an official police vehicle throwing a lit cigarette butt onto the road through the window, the Morski.hr portal reported. The reader said the incident was particularly problematic because the person involved was a police officer who should set an example of responsible behavior. The portal’s editorial team sent the video and an inquiry to the Zadar Police Department, asking for an explanation of the incident and information on whether disciplinary proceedings would be initiated against the officer and whether the officer would be punished. The police response, the portal said, will be published once it is received.
Throwing a cigarette butt out of a vehicle window carries a fine of €130. If the discarded cigarette butt causes a fire, fines can amount to several thousand euros, with the possibility of a prison sentence of several years.
Source: RTV, 19.08.2026
