Major Fire in Croatia: One Person Killed, 1,200 Evacuated
At least one person has died, and about 40 others have been injured as a result of a massive fire on Croatia’s Adriatic coast. The fire broke out on Thursday evening near the village of Lokva-Rogoznica and quickly spread toward the tourist town of Omis, located about 6 km away.
About 1,200 local residents and tourists were evacuated from the danger zones. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković reported that ten people were in intensive care units. Temporary shelters were set up in several coastal towns, and the evacuation continued throughout the night.
The fire affected villages near the Adriatic city of Split. The flames spread down slopes covered with pine forests and caused significant damage to homes and vehicles. Slavko Tuchaković, head of Croatia’s fire department, called it one of the worst in the country’s history. According to officials, strong winds caused the flames to engulf about 1,000 hectares in four hours.
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Overnight, more than 300 firefighters were deployed to battle the blaze, and in some places they were forced to retreat due to the rapid spread of the fire. Viseslav Pesic, commander of the Omisha volunteer fire department, told Reuters that due to the intensity of the fire, people were abandoning their cars right in the fire zone, hindering the passage of emergency services. According to BBC News, some people were forced to jump into the sea from boats to escape the fire.
On Friday, a body was found in the scorched area, and emergency services continued to survey the affected areas. Plenković, who visited the scene of the fire, said the fire spread at lightning speed amid strong winds. He also called it a true miracle that firefighters were able to contain the blaze.
