Fires in Dalmatia: Causes identified by Police

Several significant wildfires broke out across Dalmatia this week, impacting the areas of Podgora, Tučepi, and Skradin. Thanks to the swift and coordinated efforts of firefighters, these fires are now mostly under control.

Significant wildfires that erupted on Wednesday across several locations in Dalmatia are now mostly under control, it was reported this morning. The fires affected areas in Podgora, Tučepi, and Skradin on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast.

In Trogir, brush, grass, and pine forests were ablaze, covering an area of approximately 500 hectares.

Firefighters from Slatina, Okrug, Seget Vranjica, Marina, Kaštela, Dugopolje, Sinj, Split, Trilj, and Žrnovnica are assisting their colleagues in Trogir, with a total of 18 vehicles and 57 firefighters on the scene.

Additional reinforcements arrived yesterday afternoon from the regions of Lika-Senj and Koprivnica-Križevci.

The fire in the Skradin – Ićevo area remained active this morning. The blaze engulfed brush, low vegetation, and pine forest across an area exceeding 1,000 hectares.

The commander of the Volunteer Fire Department in Podgora, Željko Pivac, reported that the situation was under control on Thursday. 

According to records from the Croatian Firefighting Operational Centre, between 7:00 a.m. on 31 July and 7:00 a.m. on 1 August 2024, 122 firefighting interventions were recorded nationwide, Index.hr reported.

A total of 244 firefighting organisations were involved, with 755 firefighters, 257 firefighting vehicles, and 10 firefighting aircraft participating across all fires.

Police Investigation into Trogir Fire

The police have announced the cause of the fire that broke out yesterday above the village of Vrsine near Trogir. An investigation at the scene determined that the fire originated at a waste disposal site by the road.

It was caused by the spontaneous combustion of various waste materials, including glass and mirrors. No criminal activity has been identified in this incident, Index.hr writes.

Tučepi Fire Investigation

Regarding the fire that erupted in the Gornji Tučepi area, officers from the Makarska Police Station completed a criminal investigation involving a 65-year-old man.

He is suspected of committing a serious crime against public safety through negligence, as per Article 222, paragraph 3 in conjunction with Article 215, paragraph 3 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Croatia.

The investigation established that the fire’s origin was near beehives, where the suspect had earlier discarded embers from a smoker and doused them with water.

A criminal complaint will be filed with the County State Attorney’s Office in Split.