In Prijepolje, the state of emergency is still in force; The fire from Montenegro moved to Serbia (PHOTO)

More than 30 hectares of dense conifer forest burned, while yesterday three houses and five cottages that were immediately threatened were saved by superhuman efforts.

"We have been monitoring the situation on the ground for the third day, and the fire broke out when a strong southerly wind blew and in less than an hour it entered the forest for a kilometer. All possible crews, two helicopters and available tankers from the emergency department and the public utility company Lim were on the ground, but the fire could not be brought under control. Only those who were not on the spot cannot believe what the situation was," Prijepolje Municipality President Drago Popadić told RINA.

He added that the wind further worsened the situation today, which is why teams of the emergency situation sector are still putting out individual fires and monitoring the development of the situation.

"We hope that the rain that fell this morning, and is expected to fall again, will help to stop the fire. Unfortunately, two fires are still active on the Montenegrin side, and due to the inaccessible terrain, extinguishing without a helicopter is impossible," said Popadić.

He stated that the state of emergency is still in effect, and all local services and members of Serbia Forestry are working on the construction of fire roads in order to prevent the further spread of the fire.

"We will not withdraw people or machinery, everyone will continue to be present until the fire is completely extinguished. We must prevent, God forbid, the lives and property of our citizens from being endangered," said the president of the municipality of Prijepolje.

The fire in this area has been going on for several days, and in the Serbian part, more than 30 hectares of conifer forest have burned so far.

All local services are still on standby, and the locals are hoping that the weather circumstances will finally help with the fire extinguishing.