The Operations Center of the Regional Directorate of the Fire and Rescue Service in Žilina informed the Veľká Fatra National Park Administration about the fire on Sunday, August 16, at 5:31 PM.
Today, professional firefighters from Ružomberok and volunteer fire brigades from the villages of Liptovská Osada, Liptovské Revúce, Liptovská Lúžna, Vlkolínec, and Likavka are on site, and employees of the Veľká Fatra National Park administration are also helping to extinguish the fire.
Approximately 3,000 m2 is burning in difficult-to-access terrain in the dwarf pine zone.
The fire was likely caused by people. Traces of a campfire were found below the Skalná Alpa viewpoint in the highest – fifth level of nature protection, where entry is prohibited.
We ask visitors to avoid the area between Smrekovica and Skalná Alpa. We also ask national park visitors to respect the visitor regulations and fire safety principles, which are especially important during the declared period of increased fire risk.
Skalná Alpa is located in the northern part of Veľká Fatra, between the peaks of Rakytov and Malá Smrekovica, approximately 10 km southwest of Ružomberok. Most of the area is currently included in the Skalná Alpa National Nature Reserve under the strictest level of protection, encompassing both forest and non-forest communities. The site is part of the Site of Community Importance SKUEV0238 Veľká Fatra, Special Protection Area SKCHVU033 Veľká Fatra, and Veľká Fatra National Park. Skalná Alpa protects original mountain forests and dwarf pine zones in their natural state. Due to the abundant occurrence of protected, endangered, endemic, and rare species of lower and higher plants, the area is very valuable from both botanical and zoological perspectives.
