Firefighters across Montenegro are continuing a large-scale battle against wildfires around Herceg Novi and Ulcinj, where strong winds, very dry vegetation and difficult terrain are repeatedly allowing flames to regain strength.
The fires have been burning for several days, forcing crews to defend homes and infrastructure while firefighting aircraft and helicopters concentrate on the most dangerous fronts.
Montenegro’s Deputy Prime Minister Aleksa Bečić said aerial forces dropped a combined 369 tonnes of water on the fires during Friday’s operations.
Three AT-802 firefighting aircraft completed 53 sorties and released 159 tonnes of water, while an Antonov AN-32P carried out another 10 sorties and dropped 80 tonnes.
Aircraft operated by the Montenegrin Armed Forces added another 130 tonnes over fire zones around Herceg Novi and Ulcinj.
Serbian Orthodox nuns pray in front of the flames as the wildfire approaches the Monastery of Saint Basil of Ostrog, near Ulcinj, Montenegro 🇲🇪
— Based Serbia (@SerbiaBased) August 14, 2026
☦️ pic.twitter.com/Bp3Svzgvw5
Hundreds of Thousands of Liters Were Dropped from the Air
The largest aerial effort focused on fires around Bijela and Baošići in the municipality of Herceg Novi and around Vladimir and Zoganje near Ulcinj.
Government figures show the civilian firefighting aircraft completed 63 sorties during the day, releasing 239 tonnes of water before military aviation was included in the total.
Burnu i neizvjesnu noć proveli su vatrogasci i mještani na području Ulcinja. Ekipe vatrogasaca, a i mještani nekoliko naselja bili su pripravni kako bi zaustavili vatrenu stihiju ako se primakne objektima. U Ulcinju aktivna su požarišta u selima Gač i Klezna, a vatra se proširila… pic.twitter.com/N0XHNB5BtB
— RTCG (@RTCGme) August 14, 2026
Aerial support has become particularly important because several active fire fronts are burning across steep or difficult-to-access terrain.
Around Herceg Novi, firefighters from Kotor, Tivat, Nikšić, Bar, Budva, Podgorica and Cetinje have joined local crews.
Teams from Trebinje in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina are also assisting, alongside volunteer fire brigades, police, Red Cross personnel, municipal companies and local residents.
Conditions improved around parts of Herceg Novi during Friday afternoon, particularly between Bijela and Baošići, after repeated aerial attacks.
However, the situation deteriorated again toward Zelenika, including around Rujevo and Obalica.
Crews remained positioned around settlements to prevent flames reaching houses.
Strong and shifting winds are one of the main reasons the fire remains difficult to contain. A change in wind direction can rapidly redirect an active fire front toward areas that appeared secure only hours earlier.
Additional aircraft are expected to support operations as firefighters continue working through the night.
Firefighters around Ulcinj are also dealing with persistent fire activity.
Briska Gora remained one of the most active areas, with crews attempting to stop flames spreading toward Klezna, Gač, Fistula and Zoganje.
Firefighting teams from Bijelo Polje, Podgorica, Berane, Žabljak, Plužine and Plav have joined the response, together with military units, volunteer firefighters, municipal services, local residents and privately operated water tankers.
Officials said several dangerous situations developed during the day, but firefighters managed to prevent more serious consequences.
Fire weather remains the underlying problem
The scale of the response reflects how difficult the meteorological conditions have become.
Persistent summer heat and limited rainfall have dried grass, scrub and woodland across large parts of Montenegro. Once vegetation reaches very low moisture levels, fires can spread much more rapidly after ignition.
Wind then becomes the critical short-term factor.
Strong gusts push flames through dry vegetation, increase oxygen reaching the fire and carry burning embers ahead of the main front. Shifting winds can also change the direction of spread with little warning.
Other fires have also been reported around Nikšić, Kolašin and Mount Lisinj near Bar, stretching firefighting resources across several municipalities.
Authorities say Montenegro’s protection and rescue system remains operating at full capacity, with available aircraft, firefighters and emergency personnel being redirected toward the highest-priority areas.
Even where individual fire fronts have weakened, crews are expected to remain on alert because dry fuels and variable winds mean conditions can deteriorate again quickly.
