A major battle against forest fires is continuing in Serbia's Deliblatska Pescara nature reserve, where around 20 square kilometers have been affected by flames. It is the largest active wildfire in Serbia and one of dozens burning across the country, putting emergency services under growing pressure.

The scale of destruction is visible across the affected area. Blackened trees, scorched grass and burned vegetation now cover parts of a landscape previously dominated by forests and grasslands. Initial estimates suggest almost 10% of the entire Deliblatska Pescara reserve has been affected.

Burnt trees, scorched grass, and devastated forest are an usual site to see in the most affected parts. And in the distance, a smoke shows that the fire is not over yet. Deep inside Deliblatska Pescara, forest fires are still raging.

For people living around the reserve, there has been some relief. No human casualties have been reported, while houses threatened by the advancing flames have been saved.

Around 350 firefighters, soldiers, police officers and other emergency personnel have been deployed in an effort to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading deeper into the protected area.

One of their main methods is creating fire breaks by clearing vegetation ahead of the flames, depriving the fire of combustible material.

"To date, we have managed to make a very large number of fire breaks, which are 20 to 80 meters wide. As many as 60 kilometers of such fire breaks have been made, which will certainly have a significant impact on preventing the spread of fire," said Aleksandar Radosavljevic, deputy head of Serbia's Sector for Emergency Management.

Helicopters are supporting operations in areas difficult to reach from the ground, collecting water from nearby lakes and dropping it over burning sections of the forest.

But the greatest long-term damage may be environmental. 

Deliblatska Pescara, located in Serbia's northern province of Vojvodina, is one of Europe's largest continental sandy areas and contains a mixture of forests, steppe and grassland habitats supporting numerous protected plant and animal species.

While damaged homes and infrastructure can eventually be repaired, experts warn that recovering an ecosystem devastated by a large wildfire is a much slower process. Forests and habitats destroyed within days can require years or decades to regenerate.

With smoke still rising above Deliblatska Pescara and emergency crews continuing operations, the final extent of the damage remains unknown.