Forest fire near Vidova, Cacak: flames by the railway

A forest fire broke out on October 7 in the afternoon in the village of Vidova near Cacak, and according to residents the flames have come close to two households and the Elektromorava holiday resort. Neither the fire service nor the police had published official information at the time of writing, so the details come from residents who spoke to the RINA agency.

Where is the fire and when did it become known?

According to the first reports, the forest is burning near the railway line that runs through the Ovcar-Kablar Gorge and Vidova. It is an open-area fire, and firefighting units have reportedly been sent to the scene.

The first reports appeared shortly before 5 p.m.: Telegraf published its story at 4:59 p.m. and updated it at 5:11 p.m. A little later Informer and Alo reported that the fire had spread and that residential buildings were at risk.

What do residents say?

One resident told the Regional Information News Agency RINA that firefighters had been sent to the scene:

“Three firefighting crews have been sent to the scene. A huge cloud of smoke is visible from our houses. We hope the flames will be contained quickly.”

The number three, then, comes from a resident and not from the firefighters, and nobody says where the crews came from. Informer reports that the smoke cloud can also be seen from the city, but does not specify which city.

Later, according to Informer and Alo, a resident told RINA that the situation had worsened:

“From what we have heard, the fire has spread and come close to two households, and the ‘Elektromorava’ resort is also threatened. Firefighters are there.”

Alo also reports that “more firefighters and rescuers have arrived and are doing everything to contain the fire as soon as possible”, which is likewise a statement by one of the residents to RINA. The resident opens that statement with the words “from what we have heard”.

What is still unknown?

None of the sources reviewed says how large an area the fire has covered or what caused it. There is no information on injuries, nor on whether rail traffic through the gorge has been suspended or slowed, even though the fire is burning close to the track itself.

It has also not been announced whether the fire has been contained. Until firefighters or another competent service release official figures on the number of people and vehicles at the scene, the area affected and the threat to buildings, the only witnesses being quoted are residents of Vidova, and their estimates should be read as estimates, not established facts.