Canton’s newly acquired helicopter crucial in battle against Maglaj forest fire

The aircraft, belonging to the Zenica-Doboj Canton Civil Protection Administration, was deployed after a fire flared up again yesterday evening, directly threatening a nearby telecommunications transmitter. Over a two-hour operation starting at 5 pm, the helicopter carried out 14 tactical water drops to douse the flames.

Dzavid Alicic, director of the Civil Protection Administration, confirmed to the FENA news agency that the helicopter, purchased last year, has now seen its first active deployment.

"Over the past two days, our helicopter joined local residents and firefighters from Maglaj, Tesanj, and Jelah on the front lines," Alicic said. "During 22 sorties, it dropped approximately 19,000 litres of water onto the blaze. Yesterday evening, we deployed the aircraft to tackle a flare-up threatening a telecommunications transmitter. Using 14 Bambi Bucket drops of 800 litres each, we released 11,200 litres of water, successfully concluding the operation by 7 pm. No homes are currently at risk, and no injuries have been reported."

Local authorities have now issued an urgent appeal for all adult men in the area to join the firefighting efforts, as teams work to extinguish what remains the only active wildfire in the canton.

The acquisition of the helicopter marks a significant shift for the Zenica-Doboj Canton, which has previously relied entirely on the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina for aerial support during major environmental emergencies, including several severe wildfires two years ago. Armed Forces helicopters have previously been drafted in to combat blazes in Maglaj, Olovo, Zepce, and Kakanj.