A helicopter from the Montenegrin authorities has been deployed to fight a wildfire that broke out near the famous Ostrog Monastery, one of Montenegro’s most important religious and tourist sites. The fire was first spotted on Thursday evening, prompting firefighters from Nikšić to immediately send a team to the area. The crew remained at the scene throughout the night and continued monitoring the situation into Friday morning, while the fire was reported to be under control. Because parts of the terrain are difficult to access from the ground, aerial assistance was brought in to help extinguish the remaining flames.
According to Slavko Tadić, commander of the Nikšić Protection and Rescue Service, firefighters initially expected the situation around Ostrog to be resolved during the morning. He said one team had remained at the location overnight and that additional helicopter support from the Army of Montenegro had been announced for the morning. The fire was described as being under control, while the monastery itself was not considered to be directly threatened. Firefighters and other emergency teams were nevertheless kept in the area as a precaution because of the difficult terrain and the continuing risk of fire spreading.
The situation around Nikšić remains challenging, however, as the Ostrog fire is only one of several active fires in the wider area. Firefighters are also working around Budoš, Župa, Međužidje, Broćanac, Mislov Dol, Praga, Gradačka Poljana and Golija. Local emergency services have been operating across multiple locations at the same time, with high temperatures and a prolonged lack of significant rainfall making firefighting more difficult. Around 63 to 64 operational firefighters were reported to be working in the affected areas, with local officials warning that crews have been under heavy pressure after several days of continuous interventions.
Fire officials have also raised concerns about the wider environmental and public health impact of the fires. Miloš Vukotić of the Nikšić firefighting service said the region has been dealing with heavy smoke for an extended period, creating particularly difficult conditions for children and people with chronic illnesses. He also suggested that the scale of the fires and deteriorating air quality could justify consideration of declaring a state of natural disaster. Authorities have additionally raised suspicions that some of the fires may have been deliberately started, although investigations would be needed to establish the causes and identify those responsible. For now, emergency crews remain focused on containing the active fires and preventing them from threatening populated areas and important locations such as Ostrog Monastery.
