The fire near the village of Trstín (živnosť - trade license) in the Trnava district was finally put out only on Sunday, August 9. It started on Friday evening, August 7, and during this time it covered about 130 hectares of forest in the Little Carpathians. The fire was localized only on Saturday around 7:00 PM: strong wind and difficult terrain made the rescuers' work a real challenge.
If you live in Trnava or nearby, or plan to walk in the Little Carpathians in the coming days, keep in mind: the site has already been extinguished, but volunteer fire brigades from surrounding villages still monitor the burned area. The fire may flare up again, and they are trying to prevent this.
How they extinguished it
At the peak, 17 professional firefighters from HaZZ (Hasičský a záchranný zbor, Slovak fire and rescue service) with 11 units of equipment worked on site, and 53 volunteers brought their own 12 units. Many fire spots were in places where equipment simply could not reach, so they had to use an army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter — it dropped water from the air. Hidden fire centers were searched by drones, and specialized ground extinguishing modules helped work on the ground. Slovak media reported on the operation, calling the event one of the largest forest fires of the season in the west of the country.
When the fire was extinguished, the site was handed over to the owner of the forest plots, writes Startitup.
What you should know
August in Slovakia is traditionally the peak of forest fires: dry grass and heat turn one careless cigarette into dozens of burned hectares. If you see smoke or fire in the forest — call 112. This is the only emergency number for firefighters, medics, and police across the country. Our emergency phone directory will help you keep it along with other important contacts.
And please, no barbecues in the forest during heat — Slovak firefighters are already working at their limit.
