Hundreds of firefighters fight wildfires in Croatia's coastal region of Central Dalmatia
Hundreds of firefighters are battling wildfires in Croatia's central Dalmatian coast. The situation was most critical overnight Wednesday around the towns of Podgora and Tucepi on the Makarska Riviera. Flames reached within 20 meters of the first houses in a downhill neighborhood of Podgora, according to the local newspaper "Slobodna Dalmacija". Over 300 firefighters with 70 vehicles and aircraft prevented houses from burning down. Several dozen tourists and residents were evacuated. By morning, the fire service described the situation as largely under control.
Authorities say the fire was caused by the negligence of a local resident in the Biokovo Nature Park, which stretches above Podgora and Tucepi. Around 400 hectares of vegetation were burned. The Biokovo Nature Park is unique in Croatia as 1500-meter-high mountains reach close to the coast. It's popular among hikers and skiers.
Another fire kept firefighters busy in Vrsine, 30 kilometers west of Split. Around 500 hectares of forest, bush, and meadow were affected in an inaccessible mountain area. About 60 firefighters with 18 vehicles were active there, according to media reports. Forest and bush fires are common in Croatia in the summer, exacerbated now by persistent drought.
The negligence of a local resident led to vegetation fires in the Biokovo Nature Park, causing the burning of approximately 400 hectares of vegetation. The wildfires in Vrsine, 30 kilometers west of Split, also included vegetation, affecting around 500 hectares of forest, bush, and meadow.
