Emergency crews struggle to bring wildfire burning for weeks in Serbia under control

Warnings for extreme conditions have been issued across most of the Balkans, as authorities warn of a return to sweltering heat that has swept across Europe this summer. A Serbian wildfire burning for weeks in a vast nature reserve forced evacuations on Thursday as fire crews struggle to bring the blaze under control, according to state media. Since early August, a fire has been burning through vast tracts of the Deliblatska Peščara forest reserve about 60 kilometres (37 miles) east of Belgrade. As temperatures hit 39C in parts of the country on Thursday, state broadcaster RTS said a small hamlet on the reserve's edge was evacuated after strong winds drove the flames toward homes. "The situation remains difficult," Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said, but noted there had been no reports of damage so far. An Ilyushin waterbombing aircraft arrived from Russia late on Wednesday, after a request for assistance from Belgrade, as heatwave conditions returned to the Balkans, driving dozens of fires across the region. The Russian waterbomber, with a capacity of 42,000 litres, was seen by journalists dousing parts of the fire as locals watched on Thursday afternoon. But Dačić said even after multiple passes, the fire remained dangerous. "Few people truly grasp the seriousness of the situation, due to the sand, the heat and the extreme temperatures," he said. Warnings for extreme conditions have been issued across most of the Balkans, as authorities warn of a return to sweltering heat that has swept across Europe this summer. Europe has been tackling a spate of wildfires spurred by high temperatures and tinder-dry conditions due to a historically hot summer that has already contributed to the deaths of thousands of people. Scientists blame ever hotter and more frequent heatwaves on human-caused climate change.