Vučić at the Deliblato Sands: “Only One Field Toilet Burned Down”

Serbian president rejects claims that authorities deliberately let the protected nature reserve burn

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Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić visited the fire-stricken Deliblato Sands on Sunday morning, where he met firefighters and units involved in the emergency response. The president said the scale of the destruction was considerable, although smaller than he had expected, and sharply attacked those who claimed that the authorities had deliberately allowed the protected nature reserve to burn.

“I am disgusted by all those who talked about the fire being deliberately started,” Vučić said.

The president also surveyed the burned areas from the air and said it was particularly strange to see how the fire had spread. According to him, the greatest problem was the constantly changing wind direction, which could make the movement of the flames unpredictable even within a single day.

Vučić said three firefighters narrowly escaped death when a firestorm swept over them. The civilian population, however, was not endangered, he claimed.

The Serbian president visited firefighters battling the wildfire in the Deliblato Sands and brought them some food because, as he put it, “strength comes through the mouth” (Source: Tanjug via Informer)

The president announced that those who distinguished themselves in fighting the fire would receive decorations, and asked Interior Minister Ivica Dačić to find a way to reward the best and most hard-working firefighters. He also expressed special thanks to the volunteer fire brigades.

Vučić Says Not a Single House Burned Down

According to a report by the pro-government Informer, Vučić claimed that the fire had caused no loss of life and destroyed no residential buildings. Of all the structures in the affected area, he said, only “one field toilet” had burned down.

Since Informer is not exactly the most reliable of sources, we listened to the Serbian president’s remarks about the damage caused by the fire — which he sought to play down — and the statement quoted above was indeed made.

The remark is particularly noteworthy because different accounts of the damage have appeared on social media and in reports from local residents over the past few days.

The meeting attracted considerable media attention, although it could also be said that the Serbian president staged a “media show” by bringing the entire press corps with him to the forest press conference

At the same time, the president instructed the relevant authorities to review the response once the danger had passed: what could have been done faster or better, what equipment had been lacking, and whether additional firefighters needed to be hired.

According to Vučić, climate change means that Serbia should expect more frequent and more severe fires in the coming years.

“The climate is changing; there will be more fires. We need to prepare. If necessary, we will buy large aircraft as well,” he said.

Vučić said the ecosystem of the Deliblato Sands would be restored and also declared that the burned areas would not be handed over to investors.

Why Did Serbia Wait Until Now to Ask the European Union for Help?

An N1 reporter asked the president why Serbia had waited until now to request assistance from the European Union. Vučić described the question itself as ill-intentioned.

“I am very grateful for your question, especially for your bad intentions. It motivates us to work even better,” he replied.

According to Vučić, Serbia is a “European giant” in terms of firefighting equipment and nothing less than a “European superpower” when it comes to aerial firefighting capacity.

He said the leadership had initially received reports indicating that Serbian forces were sufficient to contain the fire, and that Belgrade requested assistance as soon as information to the contrary became available.

The Serbian president treated the firefighters to sandwiches and soft drinks (Source: Novosti)

The president thanked the European Union for its assistance but said the Serbian authorities would conduct their own assessment of what additional equipment should be purchased to deal with future natural disasters, which are expected to become increasingly severe.

When the N1 journalist attempted to interrupt him with a follow-up question, Vučić told her to “learn some manners.”

“There are always mistakes. But it would never occur to me to smear these people, these heroes,” he added, while his bodyguards scanned the Sands.

Vučić: The Firefighters Are Risking Their Lives Here

Vučić also launched a lengthy attack on those who have claimed in recent days that the Deliblato Sands were deliberately allowed to burn to make way for some future investment project.

According to the president, there are people in Serbia who are prepared to act against their own country for the sake of “political armchairs.”

He said he considered such allegations particularly insulting to the firefighters.

“These people are risking their lives here. They left their children, their wives and their parents at home, and their families spent nights without sleep because they did not know whether they would survive,” he said.

At the same time, Vučić also said that in the future “a stronger military presence is needed for the sake of discipline.”

According to Vučić, when those who suspect investors’ interests behind the fire are asked exactly which investors they are referring to, they are unable to provide an answer.

Even before his visit, the president sharply attacked his critics in a video posted on Instagram. He said the state could be criticised, but those doing so should also offer solutions instead of “criticising and swearing merely for the sake of criticising and swearing.”

The Political Dispute Is Unlikely to Die Down With the Fire

Vučić’s visit was essentially a response to the criticism that has intensified over the past several days, but it is unlikely to bring the controversy to an end.

The question is no longer simply whether the fire can finally be brought under control.

Previously on BALK

The Deliblato Sands Have Been Burning for a Month

After weeks of fire, there are other questions that deserve investigation: what condition were the Deliblato Sands’ fire-protection systems in, were the available resources sufficient, why did foreign assistance become necessary, and what could have been done differently at an earlier stage?

In fact, Vučić himself called for such a review when he asked the relevant authorities, once the fire had been extinguished, to determine “what we could have done faster and better.”

The smoke over the Deliblato Sands may therefore slowly begin to clear, but the political controversy surrounding the fire is unlikely to disappear with it.