Two Canadairs Extinguish Fire in Tučepi, Firefighters Encouraged by News That Wind Has Stopped

Dalmatia has been hit by several fires since Tuesday (yesterday), one of which first broke out near Skradin, and then near Tučepi and in the Radonić area. The fire near Skradin consumed about 500 hectares of low vegetation and pine forest, while last night there was a particularly tough battle near Tučepi, as detonations were heard throughout, and due to the bura wind, the fire spread quickly, entering several villages. There are 237 firefighters from Zagreb and Karlovac on the ground, and as the chief fire commander said, besides advice to citizens, the good news is that the wind has stopped, which will contribute to significantly faster firefighting.

Slavko Tucaković, the chief fire commander, reported from the settlement of Divulje near Trogir.

“Near Smoković (a place in northern Dalmatia, editor's note) the fire is under control, every flame has been extinguished, and only a watch remains. As for the Skradin hinterland, firefighters fought the fire all night, hindered by the wind. However, the spread of the fire was prevented and it did not break through the road. This morning, two Canadairs and two air tractors were dispatched there,” he said.

Regarding Tučepi, as he stated, there was a major battle throughout the night.

“There was material damage, as well as explosions. At one point, a gas cylinder exploded, but there are no casualties. Part of the fire also spread into the Biokovo Nature Park. Firefighters from Zagreb are ready to join in Tučepi. It is important that the wind has stopped, and this will contribute to faster firefighting. Two Canadairs are in Tučepi and two in the Skradin hinterland, along with two air tractors,” he added, as reported by N1.

He also gave advice to people: “They should listen to the instructions of firefighters and help them by showing the routes to reach the fire. Do not leave homes if they are not threatened, because they can help us, and in case of evacuation, follow the instructions of firefighters and the police.”

The chief county fire commander, Ivan Kovačević, said that there is still open flame along half of the burned line.

“When the Canadairs suppress the flames a bit, we are ready to enter and begin rehabilitation, hopefully during the day. We have engaged all tankers and have two trucks with 33,000 liters of water, and these are our refill points,” he added.

He also emphasized that the material damage is certainly significant to the forest itself, as well as to structures.

“There are several villages that the fire entered, and some agricultural buildings and some older houses were damaged. Some older vehicles were also damaged, including the vehicle of the municipality mayor who was inspecting the fire. We cannot focus on the damage now, but rather on saving and stopping the fire. All residents stayed, which makes the situation easier for us. Some tourists left because it really looked terrible last night, but they returned in the morning. When people stay and wait for us, it helps us because we cannot know all the routes, and they carry out rehabilitation once we extinguish the flames,” he explained.

As already mentioned, there is a large number of firefighters on the ground, with the latest figures indicating 237 people, and it has been confirmed that last night's detonations in Tučepi were caused by explosions of gas cylinders from abandoned old vehicles.