July 22, 2022 - The Slovenia fire near Croatia is now under control, though strong winds are expected in the afternoon. The latest update. 

In the Slovenian Kars region, along the border with Italy, they are still fighting the fire that claimed the first victim last night, a civil defense member who died on the Italian side, reports Index.hr.

The Slovenian army still helps firefighters today
The Slovenian army is still of great help to firefighters. They are assisted by three large Bell 412 helicopters and a Pilatus PC-6 aircraft. In addition, neighboring countries are helping Slovenia again - Serbia and Hungary provided two firefighting helicopters, and Austria provided one.

Thick smoke is rising from the fire site in many places, but firefighters reassure people and say nothing is burning there.

Strong winds are expected in the afternoon; firefighters are afraid of the fire spreading
Although firefighters have the fire under control now, they are concerned about the weather forecast as stronger winds are expected again in the afternoon, which could spread the fire.

Airplanes and helicopters will help the firefighters on the ground today. The fire will have to be put out until the first heavy rain. If there is no rain for a month, the firefighters will have to be on the ground the entire time.

Veterinarians save animals from fires
In addition to members of the civil defense and firefighters, field veterinarians who help protect domestic animals and look for temporary shelters for animals in villages where the evacuation of the population has been ordered also participate in interventions due to fires in the Kars area, writes Delo.

According to Samuel Kosmač, the biggest problem is a barn with about 20 dairy cows and calves on a farm in the village of Temnica, from where the locals were evacuated yesterday morning. In the afternoon, the general danger alarm was turned on again. Firefighters tried to protect residential and commercial buildings from the fire.

According to an Ajdovo veterinary clinic veterinarian, the field veterinarian should have ordered the animals to be moved to a barn in the neighboring village, but there are no dairy cows there. The interlocutors interviewed by Delo journalists say that it would be best if part of the firefighters stayed in the village and protected the barn and the animals.

The Food Safety Administration did not provide detailed information on how domestic animals are cared for and rescued at fire sites.

The Slovenian Prime Minister announced compensation for volunteer firefighters 
Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob announced on the 24ur Zvečer program that the government intends to recognize compensation for volunteer firefighters who put out fires in the Kars area.

"We were aware of some anomalies in the firefighting system, and we will most likely pass a measure tomorrow at the correspondence session of the government according to which, after the activation of the state plan, we will recognize compensation for all volunteer firefighters. We will also change the law on firefighting, or we will regulate that part of the law. Before that, we will provide compensation to the firefighters fighting the fires in the Kars area to at least show the state's gratitude," said Golob, who had previously stated that Slovenia will be more prepared for the next fire season when it comes to aerial extinguishing because he believes that is now too dependent on solidarity aid from neighboring countries.

500 firefighters continue to fight the fire in the Kars region
Firefighters continue to fight the fire in the Kars area today, because a fire broke out near Cerje late on Thursday afternoon. The night was difficult for everyone who fought the fire in the mountainous region.

The fire line towards Trstelje is still active.

"The fire is under control."
The fire line is still active, and a lot of fire and smoke can be seen on the Italian side of the border, which is why 500 firefighters were active during the night. "The fires are under control," announced the Northern Coast fire station commander.

A civil protection volunteer died in the fire on the Italian side
Italian media reported that civil protection member Elena Lo Duca (56) died during an investigation on the Italian side of the burned area.

According to local Italian media, Lo Duca was conducting an investigation and was crushed by a burnt tree. Lo Duca was a policewoman who also volunteered for civil protection.

The Chief of Police in Prepott, Lamberto Giannini, pointed out that this tragic event saddened the entire police force.

"The great enthusiasm Elena put into her work will always be an example to all. I express my condolences on behalf of all the men and women of the state police for this difficult loss of the family," said Police Chief Giannini.

The big fire on the Slovenian Kars near the border with Italy is not calming down, as evidenced by the dramatic stories of the locals who describe the situation as "desperate" while trying to save "what can be saved" with the firefighters.

The fires in western Slovenia have been going on for the fifth day, and the most destructive fire that spread from Italy two days ago has destroyed more than two thousand hectares so far.

Firefighters from most of the country were engaged in extinguishing the biggest fire in the history of Slovenia, and Italy, Croatia, Austria, and Slovakia sent helicopters and Canadairs to help.

For more breaking news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

JULY 22 UPDATE

July 21, 2022 - The fire in Slovenia is the worst in the country's history. A look at the latest updates and the impact it is having on Istria. 

Overnight, 800 firefighters brought the biggest fire in Slovenian history under control. However, the situation is still difficult. Due to the wind, the fire is moving from Italy towards Slovenia.

Latest updates from Index.hr: 

Minister of Defense: The situation has worsened in the last few hours
"In the last few hours, the situation has worsened; extinguishing fires from the air is greatly hampered by poor visibility. The headquarters determines measures depending on the development of the fire. Three settlements have been evacuated: Novelo, Temnica, and Vojščica. At the moment, our main task is protecting buildings," the Minister of Defense Marjan Šarec announced on Twitter. 

According to the locals, the fire has already approached Vojščica - about 300 meters, which can be seen from the increasingly thick smoke, soot, and ash, reports a 24ur journalist.

Helicopters from Austria, Croatia, and Slovakia arrive to help
It is expected that around 1,000 firefighters and several helicopters, including four Slovenian army and two police helicopters, will fight the fire. A helicopter from Austria is already putting out the fire, and Croatian and Slovak helicopters are also on the way.

The fire also threatens settlements in Italy
The fire is threatening the Slovenian Kras region and spreading to the Italian side. It threatens the inhabitants of the villages of Sablici, Jamiano, Medeazza, and Doberdo. Slovenian and Italian firefighters are trying to protect the mentioned locations.

At Medeazza, according to the head of Duino-Aurisina, Igor Gabrovec, the fire is only a kilometer away from the settlement. The highway in the direction of Trieste has reopened today, while the section in the direction of Venice is still closed.

Numerous explosions in the area of the fire, exploding devices from the First World War
A fire in the Kars area caused numerous explosions of devices that remained in that region from the First World War. Commander Darko Zonjič said they no longer count explosions but only mark them along roads so they can be recorded later.

"Even during the night, there were a lot of explosions due to high temperatures in the area affected by the fire. Yesterday, 18 different explosive devices were removed from the villages of Sela na Krasu and Korita," said Zonjič.

Civil protection headquarters: Three fires are currently active
The Slovenian Civil Protection Headquarters announced that three fires are currently active. Firefighters are most concerned about the fire in Klarići, a hamlet near the Italian border. More than 1,000 firefighters are on the ground.

Sirens sounded for the evacuation of residents
Evacuation sirens sounded in three villages in the Kras region; Temnica, Vojščica, and Novelo. The place for gathering citizens from those areas is the gymnasium in Komno, the Civil Protection HQ announced.

Civil Protection Commander: This is the biggest fire in the history of Slovenia
Civil Protection Commander Srečko Šestan said they had never had so many firefighters on the ground at night. Almost 1,300 people, including 1,000 firefighters, fought the fire during the day. When the fire began to threaten the houses, additional forces were called in. Šestan assessed that it was the biggest fire in Slovenia so far.

"At the moment, the situation is under control; there is no strong wind, which makes it easier to put out the fire because the fire does not spread. Of course, the situation can change quickly because a storm has been announced," wrote Defense Minister Marjan Šarec this morning, adding that he is participating in firefighting with the Slovenian army.

"Since yesterday, the army has been helping with water supply and accommodation, the military ambulance service has been called, and they will also inspect with a thermal camera to detect hidden hotspots. They will also provide meals for the troops on the ground. If necessary, we will also send soldiers," Šarec said. 

A lot of smoke in Istria
"A good part of western Istria is still in smoke; the situation has even worsened. A lot of reports are coming from Poreč," writes Istramet.

After Canadairs, the Ministry of Defense sent a helicopter to the fire scene in Slovenia
During the day yesterday, the water cannon dumped 48 tons of water on the burned area in nine bursts.

Polluted air throughout Slovenia
The fire caused air pollution in the area of Koper, Postojna, and Nova Gorica.

Stronger winds are not expected
"We can look at wind as optimists or as pessimists," says Brane Gregorčič from the Environmental Protection Agency. He said that there really wouldn't be any stronger wind. He pointed out that the problems on Wednesday were caused by the western wind, which spread the fire from Italy towards Slovenia. "We expect similar winds today, but in between, there were about 18 hours of calm as far as the wind is concerned," he said.

Smoke in Istria
A large amount of smoke from the fire raging in the Slovenian Kars region covered Istria with thick smoke, bringing a significant deterioration in air quality, reports Istramet.

The station for measuring air quality in Žužići near Tinjan at 5:15 am recorded a significant increase in floating particles. During most of the night, PM 2.5 particles were below 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air, and after 5 hours, it increased more than three times and reached 40 μg/m3.

This morning, smoke in the form of haze is particularly visible in northern Istria, where there is a strong burning smell 

For more breaking news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.