Forest Fire Rages in the Foothills of Šumava, Seven Hectares Ablaze

A major forest fire has broken out in Czechia between the villages of Šimanov and Kákov, in the foothills of the Šumava mountains. According to firefighters, the call came in around 1 p.m., reporting trees and dry grass ablaze in a hard-to-reach area near a cottage settlement.

Fire service spokesman Pončar said that by the time the first crews arrived, the flames were already spreading rapidly through the woodland, at times jumping across a forest road and cutting off the retreat of some firefighters.

The officer in charge of the operation requested a Black Hawk helicopter fitted with a water bucket to assist from the air. Firefighters set up two water-collection points on the ground. Pončar noted that smoke had closed part of the road between Šimanov and Kákov, and that the blaze had already consumed roughly seven hectares of forest. Four people were evacuated from the affected area.

Václav Danda, deputy mayor of the Žihobce municipality, said the road near the fire has been closed, with access restricted to emergency vehicles only.

The fire is also creeping toward a recreational area in Šimanov. “The fire is about 200 metres from us. We have around fifty guests, and they’ve already packed their things — now we’re just waiting to see how the situation develops,” said Zdeněk Rožánek, owner of a local holiday resort.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz