Press
With the high temperatures, the risk of forest fires is also increasing in many holiday regions. A fire has now raged in Croatia. The search for the source of the fire and its cause is ongoing.
Trogir – When holidaymakers near the picturesque town of Trogir (Croatia) saw clouds of smoke from the beach on Thursday evening (July 18), many were probably quite astonished. The reason for this was a fire that was raging not far from the popular holiday resort and at times even seemed to be endangering hotel complexes. A group of firefighters were deployed to put a stop to the flames – with success.
Holiday paradise in Croatia threatened by flames: Forest fire on the Adriatic coast difficult to fight
On Thursday evening, a devastating forest fire broke out near the Medena Hotel and the campsite in Seget Vranjica, not far from Trogir in Dalmatia. Strong winds and the dense pine forest vegetation favored the rapid spread of the flames. Videos on social media showed thick clouds of smoke rising into the sky. According to Dnevnik.hr The flames on site reached a height of up to 50 meters.
There were fears at times that the flames could spread to nearby restaurants. Some tourists left the hotel complex, while others were taken from the campsite to the hotel. However, a short time later, the Croatian Fire Brigade Association (Hrvatska vatrogasna zajednica) reported that the fire was under control.
“Thanks to the firefighters’ quick reaction, the fire was prevented from spreading to the hotel complex and there is no danger to buildings and tourists. There are 70 firefighters with 25 vehicles on site,” said Chief Fire Officer Slavko Tucaković in a notice of the association.
More than 120 firefighters deployed – source of fire could not yet be located
In addition to a large number of firefighters, three firefighting planes were also deployed to fight the fire. According to a report by state television, the fire spread to a large forest area by the sea near a campsite in the village of Seget Donji. The Fire Brigade Association announced on the morning of July 19 that more than 120 firefighters were deployed in the area of the fire all night.
The exact location of the fire could not be determined at first. “The fire has not yet been localized, but is under the supervision of firefighters who were on site all night, and there is another western part of the fire area that is being extinguished,” Tucaković informed. The strong winds made extinguishing efforts much more difficult, as they kept reigniting the fire.
Was arson behind the outbreak of the fire? Eyewitnesses speak out after the fire
According to Croatian media reports, the fire near Trogir is the most dangerous in the Dalmatia region so far this year. Both the exact location of the fire and the cause of the fire are unknown.
Eyewitnesses reported Slobodna Dalmacija by the frightening speed with which the fire spread. Some even suspected arson. “The fire broke out above the road near Seget Vranjica, and less than ten minutes later it was burning 700 meters further towards the sea. It must have been set, it is impossible that the fire spread so quickly. It swallowed the forest, everything burned,” an eyewitness told the news portal
Forest fires have also broken out in North Macedonia, Albania and Bulgaria, according to AFP thousands of hectares of land have already been destroyed. The heat warning level red applies throughout the region. Last year, devastating fires occurred in the Mediterranean region, including in Croatia. In Greece, further south, also saw huge fires. (jm)
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