The fight against the fire that has been raging since Monday in the vicinity of Split, Croatia, continues. On Wednesday evening, the fire flared up again, fanned by strong winds. According to residents, in one of the towns, the flames reached a distance of 15 meters from the buildings during the night.
Flames were spotted on Monday evening in the area of Žrnovnica near Split in Croatia. The fire broke out after lightning strikeand a dry and gusty wind caused the fire to spread very quickly. On Wednesday, firefighters managed to partially control the fire, but it flared up again in the evening, fanned by strong winds.
Fire close to homes
According to the Croatian fire service, the most difficult firefighting took place at night in the area of the villages of Donje Sitno and Gornje Sitno. There were 250 officers on site, supported by 80 firefighting vehicles. The firefighters reported that it was difficult to contain the fire due to the terrain, which was also covered in dry, tall grass.
– This is an inaccessible area where there are no roads – explained the commander of the guard from Split, Marinko Bogdan. – You can't drive through, the wind is blowing.
During the night, the flames quickly spread to other areas, approaching very close to homes. Residents of the village of Gornje Sitno reported that the fire broke out just 15 meters from the buildings. The nearby cemetery was also threatened – the fire came within 200 meters. Many local volunteers helped to fight the fire. One firefighter was injured.
On Thursday morning, firefighters were still battling the blaze, but it had been partially contained. Aerial extinguishing is planned for the day.
Index.hr, Dalmacija Danas
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