Serbian blaze forces evacuations, as Russian waterbomber arrives

A Serbian wildfire burning for weeks in a vast nature reserve forced evacuations on Thursday, according to state media, as a Russian water-bombing aircraft helped crews battle the blazes.

Since early August, a fire has been burning through vast tracts of the Deliblatska Pescara forest reserve about 60 kilometres (37 miles) east of Belgrade.

As temperatures hit 39C in parts of the country on Thursday, state broadcaster RTS said a small hamlet on the reserve's edge was evacuated after strong winds drove the flames toward homes.

"The situation remains difficult," Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said, but noted there had been no reports of damage so far.

Moscow's Ilyushin aircraft arrived late Wednesday, after a request for assistance from Belgrade, as heatwave conditions returned to the Balkans, driving dozens of fires across the region.

The Russian waterbomber, with a capacity of 42,000 litres, was seen by an AFP journalist dousing parts of the fire as locals watched on Thursday afternoon.

But Dacic said even after multiple passes, the fire remained dangerous.

"Few people truly grasp the seriousness of the situation, due to the sand, the heat, and the extreme temperatures," he said.

Warnings for extreme conditions have been issued across most of the Balkans, as authorities warn of a return to sweltering heat that has swept across Europe this summer.

In neighbouring Bosnia, firefighters were also struggling to contain large blazes in its mountainous northwest, hampered by the lingering threat of landmines left in the wake of its 1990s war.