Lightning suspected as wildfire rages on Croatian island

A significant wildfire erupted on the island of Čiovo in Croatia's Split-Dalmatia County, with initial suspicions pointing to a lightning strike as the cause. The blaze prompted a large-scale response, involving around 150 firefighters and 38 vehicles from the wider operational area. Two Canadair aircraft were deployed to assist in the firefighting efforts.

Firefighters are currently working on containing and extinguishing the fire, which spread rapidly due to the lightning strike. Marin Buble from the Trogir Public Fire Service stated that the situation is currently calm with no open flames, and efforts are focused on securing the terrain. He noted that while houses and properties were in danger, no official evacuations were necessary. The assistance of aircraft and rainfall also aided in controlling the spread.

The fire broke out in the late afternoon and continued into Wednesday morning. While the exact area of burned grass, low vegetation, and pine forest remains undetermined, unofficial estimates suggest around 100 hectares may have been affected. The suspected cause, lightning, is believed to be linked to thunderstorms accompanied by strong winds, rain, and hail that affected the entire Split-Dalmatia County on Wednesday evening. Several outdoor fires across Dalmatia were also associated with the electrical storms.

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Situacija je trenutačno mirna, nigdje nema otvorene vatre. Radimo na sanaciji terena. Usled udara groma došlo je do brzog širenja vatre, reagovali smo s mnogo snaga, pomogli su nam avioni i malo i kiša