NOVI SAD, Serbia (AP) — Serbia 's populist leader Aleksandar Vucic on Friday staged a preelection rally in Novi Sad, the northern city where 16 people died in a train station tragedy almost two years ago setting off a wave of mass anti-government protests.
Thousands of flag-waving supporters attended the gathering at a central square in Novi Sad, many bused in from other parts of the country. It was Vucic’s first big rally in the city since the protests started in November 2024.
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Supporters of Serbia's populist leader Aleksandar Vucic gather prior a pre-election rally of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) ahead of early parliamentary elections in Novi Sad, Serbia, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Supporters of Serbia's populist leader Aleksandar Vucic wave a flag shows a former Bosnian Serb wartime general Ratko Mladic during a pre-election rally of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) ahead of early parliamentary elections in Novi Sad, Serbia, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Supporters of Serbia's populist leader Aleksandar Vucic gather prior a pre-election rally of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) ahead of early parliamentary elections in Novi Sad, Serbia, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Supporters wave a flag shows Serbia's populist leader Aleksandar Vucic during a pre-election rally of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) ahead of early parliamentary elections in Novi Sad, Serbia, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
The former Serbian president and his right-wing Serbian Progressive Party, or SNS, are facing a major test in the Oct. 25 election after 14 years in power in the Balkan country. The main challenger is the Students’ List candidates supported by Serbia’s protesting university students.
Serbia’s youth led the mass demonstrations demanding accountability for the concrete canopy collapse at the Novi Sad train station that many in Serbia believed was the result of bad construction work during renovation and of corruption-fueled negligence.
Near daily protests rattled Vucic more than ever and protesters forced a government collapse as student rallies drew hundreds of thousands of people.
Vucic's return to Novi Sad was seen as a show of confidence ahead of the Oct. 25 vote that he said his party will win. Without providing evidence, Vucic in a speech said that the student-led protests were organized and financed by unspecified foreign powers.
“A lot of money came from abroad, billions were brought in to destroy Serbia," he told the crowd. "They used the tragedy and moved against our Serbia ... they hate everything that is Serbian.”
A special guest at the rally was Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who praised Vucic in a speech he held in the Serbian language.
Critics accuse Vucic and his party of clamping down on democratic freedoms, rampant corruption and ties to organized crime, which they have denied. Serbia is formally seeking European Union membership but the effort has stalled under Vucic, who has close ties with Russia and China.
No one has been held responsible for the train station tragedy despite the protests, and the issue remains highly sensitive for Novi Sad. Students have urged residents to stay away on Friday to avoid confrontation with Vucic's supporters.
In his speech, Vucic promised justice for the Novi Sad tragedy. Pro-government media reported that he arrived in Novi Sad by train and then walked through the city flanked by chanting supporters.
Many in the crowd waved flags with the image of the former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic, who was convicted of genocide by a U.N. war crimes court for atrocities during Bosnia's 1992-95 conflict. Mladic was buried as a hero in Belgrade in September following his death in the The Hague, Netherlands.
Vucic is looking to return as prime minister after the vote on Oct. 25. He resigned as president last month to lead his SNS party's campaign and boost its chances at the parliamentary ballot.
Novi Sad was the scene of clashes with police and Vucic’s supporters on several occasions during protests. No major incidents were reported Friday.
Supporters of Serbia's populist leader Aleksandar Vucic gather prior a pre-election rally of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) ahead of early parliamentary elections in Novi Sad, Serbia, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Supporters of Serbia's populist leader Aleksandar Vucic wave a flag shows a former Bosnian Serb wartime general Ratko Mladic during a pre-election rally of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) ahead of early parliamentary elections in Novi Sad, Serbia, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Supporters of Serbia's populist leader Aleksandar Vucic gather prior a pre-election rally of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) ahead of early parliamentary elections in Novi Sad, Serbia, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Supporters wave a flag shows Serbia's populist leader Aleksandar Vucic during a pre-election rally of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) ahead of early parliamentary elections in Novi Sad, Serbia, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A fast-moving fire fueled by high winds burned at least six homes in Southern California on Friday, engulfing expensive coastal properties and prompting thousands to evacuate.
Black smoke — visible from miles away — billowed over tennis courts and swimming pools while firefighters doused blazing homes in San Juan Capistrano in Orange County. Some homeowners sprayed water on their properties before heeding evacuation orders.
Two firefighters were taken to the hospital with heat-related injuries, officials said. Authorities have not said how the blaze, which was less than a square mile as of Friday evening, started.
“Had these winds been a little bit stronger, a little bit different direction, this could have been a whole lot worse," said San Clemente Mayor Rick Loeffler.
Howard Hart, a councilmember for San Juan Capistrano, said he and his wife doused their roof with water and moved propane tanks away from their home before they evacuated Friday with a to-go bag.
Laura Hart hasn’t had to evacuate due to fire in the more than five decades she’s lived in the community, she said.
“This doesn’t usually happen to us, we usually see it on the news,” she said. “We always pray to God it’s not us, but yeah, it was today.”
The Norte fire started in the coastal city of San Clemente, and wind drove it into San Juan Capistrano. An evacuation shelter has opened in each city. By Friday night, about 16,000 residents had been ordered to evacuate, said Fire Chief TJ McGovern, of the Orange County Fire Authority.
It was one of several fires in the region hit by dry, warm gusts known as Santa Anas, which blow from the interior and toward the coast. The strongest winds were expected through Friday afternoon, but conditions that increase the fire risk were expected to last through Saturday night, with a heat advisory in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday on the Orange County and San Diego County coast, the National Weather Service said.
Tens of thousands of people in the state are without power after their electricity was turned off. A separate fire by the Marine Corps base Camp Pendleton shut down for hours a section of Interstate 5 that is a major artery connecting Orange County to San Diego. That added hours to commutes throughout Southern California.
The coastal cities are surrounded by hillsides. San Juan Capistrano, a city of 35,000, is known for horse trails and the historic Mission San Juan Capistrano. San Clemente, which is home to 62,000 people, is known as a “Spanish village by the sea” and popular with beachgoers and surfers.
“The fire is right up on the city,” said Victor Cabral, a San Clemente Council member. “It’s on the perimeter of our homes on the north end.”
Nine schools were also closed Friday in San Juan Capistrano, the Capistrano Unified School District said.
Nearby residents were also on edge as smoke darkened the sky.
Wyoming resident Shannon Needham was visiting her mother at her assisted living facility in Dana Point just north of San Clemente when she learned about the fire.
The facility director told her that two buses would be on standby in case they needed to evacuate, Needham said.
“You could hear the fire trucks, you could hear the helicopters and everything above. And it was so smoky, it was just dark smoke," Needham said.
Some of California’s worst wildfires have been sparked by power equipment, and utilities in recent years have begun proactively shutting off power in dry winds. More than 200,000 customers in California were without electricity as of Friday, according to poweroutage.com.
The weather service also issued a red flag warning for parts of central and Northern California through Friday morning, saying any fires would spread rapidly.
Rodriguez reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writer Jaimie Ding contributed from Los Angeles.
A firefighter stands on the roof of his engine as he prepares to leave the Norte Fire on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
Crews hose down properties burned by the Norte Fire on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A roof engulfed in flames is seen during the Norte Fire on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Resident Ephraim Taylor, grabs a garden hose in an effort to help with a wildfire spreading in his neighborhood, during the Norte Fire on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A firefighters works to douse a fire on the roof of a house engulfed in flames during the Norte Fire on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Firefighters work to douse a fire on house in flames during the Norte Fire on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The sun is obscured by smoke as firefighters work to save structures on Via La Mirada during the Norte fire in San Clemente, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)
Firefighters work to save structures on Via La Mirada during the Norte fire in San Clemente, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)
The Bryson Fire illuminates a ridge top on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Crews make a stand in front of the Bryson Fire on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Crews make a stand in front of the Bryson Fire on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A tanker drops retardant on the Peak Fire Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Azusa, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Hot spots glow across a hillside during the Bryson Fire in Malibu, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
