Serbs Pray For Rain Amidst Raging Fires

______________________________

Several hundred people answered a call by a Serbian Orthodox bishop to pray for rain as wildfires rage in the Balkan country, and forecasts indicate their prayers may be answered. The church prayers in the town of Valjevo in central Serbia were held Sunday after months of record-setting temperatures and unprecedented drought that triggered fires, destroyed crops, and dried out rivers. Emergency measures have been introduced in parts of central Serbia as two Russian firefighting planes tried to extinguish blazes that destroyed hundreds of hectares of forests and threatened some villages. The Serbian government, which asked for Russian help and deployed army troops to fight the fires, held an emergency session Sunday to deal with the disaster. Weather forecasters predict showers for Serbia overnight.

26 August 2012

Associated Press

As quoted in NewsWest9.com

http://www.kwes.com/story/19378425/serbs-pray-for-rain-amid-raging-fires

Advertisement

Serbia Asks Russia for Help in Combating Wildfires

Beriev Be-200 amphibious firefighting aircraft

______________________________

A statement from the Serbian government said Russia would send an additional aircraft to Serbia on Saturday to help fight ravaging wildfires. Several weeks ago, hot and dry weather settled in the Balkans, with temperatures sometimes exceeding 40 degrees (104 Fahrenheit), which resulted in numerous forest fires. In Serbia alone, foresters reported some 250 wildfires in the past two days. Late Friday night, an emergency meeting of the Serbian cabinet of ministers decided to ask Russia for help. In early August, the Ministry of Emergency Situations sent a Kamov Ka-32 helicopter to fight wildfires in Serbia, and, on Saturday, it’ll send a Beriev Be-200 amphibian firefighting aircraft as well. Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov and Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić signed an agreement to send the Be-200, which will remain in Serbia until 15 September. The Be-200 can land on water and scoop up 3,170 gallons (12,000 litres) of water into tanks within its hull; then, it can fly quickly to an affected area and drop its load onto a fire. It can also be reconfigured for search and rescue or cargo/passenger use (72 passengers or 12 metric tons of cargo). Beriev is the world’s only maker of large amphibious jet aircraft.

25 August 2012

RIA-Novosti

http://en.ria.ru/Environment/20120825/175425886.html

25 August 2012. RIA-Novosti Infographics. Be-200 ChS Amphibious Firefighting Aircraft

______________________________

12 April 2010

RIA-Novosti

http://en.rian.ru/infographics/20100412/158537540.html

Greek Fire Brigades Continue to Fight Fire Near Mount Athos

______________________________

On Friday, the press service of the Holy Community of Mount Athos reported that, for the second day in a row, about a hundred firemen continued their efforts to extinguish a raging wildfire near Mount Athos. Three airplanes and four helicopters are part of the elements deployed to put out the blaze. According to recent reports, firemen managed to confine the flames to an area near the small tourist resort of Ouranoupoli. In a statement issued by the fire service on Thursday, it indicated that the conflagration endangered Ouranoupoli, not Mount Athos. Authorities ordered the elderly and families with children to leave the affected locale immediately. Severe fires broke out in pine forests in northern Greece on Thursday. High temperatures exceeding 40 degrees (104 degrees Fahrenheit) only exacerbated the situation.

10 August 2012

Interfax-Religion

http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=46958