Two people have lost their lives in the wildfires sweeping through multiple counties in Romania, the authorities announced. A 67-year-old woman in Maramureș county lost her life on March 7, while a 78-year-old man from Vâlcea county was found dead on March 9. 

In addition to the fatalities, two people have been injured, including a firefighter from Caraș-Severin county who was hospitalized after sustaining injuries on March 8. Another person in Vâlcea suffered burns on March 6, while a second firefighter fell ill during operations and required medical attention.

The wildfires have spread across 13 counties in Romania, affecting over 4,000 hectares of dry vegetation and forest litter, the Department of Emergency Situations (DSU) announced Monday morning, March 10. The fires, which have primarily burned through 3,910 hectares of dry vegetation and 313 hectares of forest, continue to rage in five counties - Alba, Caraș-Severin, Hunedoara, Mehedinți, and Vâlcea - where emergency teams are still working to contain and extinguish the flames.

Caraș-Severin has been one of the hardest-hit areas, with wildfires spreading through multiple locations, including Domogled National Park, Cornereva, Sichevița, and Topleț-Băile Herculane, affecting hundreds of hectares. In Hunedoara, Mehedinți, Alba, and Vâlcea, fires continue to burn, with efforts to control them supported by aerial firefighting operations.

Firefighting aircraft are playing a crucial role in the response. On Sunday, two Black Hawk helicopters from the Ministry of Internal Affairs carried out 31 water drops, releasing a total of 77.5 tons of water in Hunedoara and Vâlcea. Additionally, a C-27J Spartan aircraft from the Ministry of Defense operated in Caraș-Severin, conducting three water drops totaling 15 tons. 

Aerial firefighting missions are set to continue on Monday, with helicopters deployed in Hunedoara and Vâlcea, while a Ministry of Defense aircraft will assist in Caraș-Severin.

The authorities have linked the fires to intentional actions by residents attempting to clear land, a practice that has led to blazes spreading across vast areas, often in difficult-to-reach locations. 

DSU head Raed Arafat emphasized that the wildfires were not caused by weather phenomena such as lightning but were intentionally set. “At this moment, we cannot attribute these forest fires to high temperatures or lightning. They are solely the result of deliberate actions by individuals - either those who have been doing this for a long time or those who intentionally set fires to clear fields or burn dry vegetation,” he stated, as quoted by Digi24.

Officials urge the public to comply with fire prevention laws to prevent further tragedy.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Facebook/Departamentul pentru Situaţii de Urgenţă)