Large wildfire rages on Croatia's Vis island, dry conditions and wind hamper firefighting

A significant wildfire erupted on the Croatian island of Vis late Sunday night, engulfing pine forests and scrubland near the town of Komiža. The blaze, which began around 11 p.m. local time, is concentrated in an area along the road to Podhumlje.

All available firefighting resources on the island have been mobilized to combat the fire. Although there was no strong wind during the night, the extremely dry terrain allowed the fire to spread rapidly in its initial hours. A moderate northeasterly wind, blowing at approximately 4 m/s according to weather stations in Komiža, is further fanning the flames and hindering containment efforts.

As of Monday morning, the fire remained uncontrolled, according to reports from the Komiža Volunteer Fire Department (DVD Komiža). However, they confirmed that the fire is not spreading towards residential areas. A substantial contingent of firefighters and equipment is on the scene, including eight fire trucks, 35 firefighters, and three Canadair water bombers.

From the nearby island of Vis, nine fire trucks and about 40 firefighters have been dispatched to assist. The main fire commander, Slavko Tucaković, stated that a total of six fire trucks, 25 firefighters, and one Canadair are operating from the Split-Dalmatia County. Tucaković expressed confidence that the fire would soon be brought under control.