by EH
A wildfire ignited Thursday morning near Mount Trstelj in the Slovenian municipality of Kostanjevica na Krasu, sending plumes of smoke visible from miles away, including the cities of Gorizia and Trieste in neighboring Italy. The fire, which began around 10 a.m. local time near the area of Šibelje, remains under investigation, with the cause still undetermined.
Seventy firefighters from across Slovenia, converging from within a 30-kilometer radius, have been deployed to combat the blaze. The response effort includes the utilization of a helicopter and two “airtractor” aircraft from Ljubljana, which have been collecting water from the Gulf of Panzano to douse the flames.
The fire has resulted in two main hotspots: one near a radio repeater on Trstelj and another on the opposite slope, facing Gorizia. The power line crossing the basin beneath Trstelj has been deactivated as a precautionary measure.
In a concerning development, the intense heat caused an unexploded ordnance to detonate. Fortunately, no injuries were reported among the firefighting personnel.
Local authorities have assured the public that there is no immediate threat to residential areas or individuals, and no evacuations have been ordered at this time.
Rodolfo Ziberna, the mayor of Gorizia, relayed information from Samo Turel, the mayor of Nova Gorica, who is in close contact with Simon Vendramin, commander of the Nova Gorica fire brigade. Turel reported that the fire had spread across approximately 120 hectares of forest near the village of Škrbina. He expressed cautious optimism, stating that the combined efforts of the aerial units and 200 firefighters have successfully contained the blaze. Officials expect the fire to be fully under control by late afternoon or evening, to be followed by at least three days of ground watering and continuous monitoring to prevent reignition.
The Slovenian government, aware of the elevated wildfire risk, had issued a high alert for the coastal municipalities just a day prior to the outbreak. This precaution underscores the region’s vulnerability during the summer months.
This incident evokes memories of the devastating fires that engulfed the Karst region two years ago, straddling the border between Italy and Slovenia, which took weeks to bring under control.
