New wildfire rages on Dugi Otok as Croatia battles blazes

A new wildfire has erupted on Dugi Otok, an island in Croatia's Zadar region, adding to the country's ongoing struggle with blazes.

The fire, confirmed by Zadar County Fire Chief Matej Rudić, is burning open space, primarily scrubland and forest, above the village of Brbinj. The seriousness of the situation is highlighted by a video shared on the Vatrogasci 193 Facebook page, showing flames engulfing vegetation on both sides of a road.

Initially tackled by firefighters from DVD Sali, the scale of the fire necessitated the deployment of additional forces from the mainland. Fifteen fire trucks, many carrying firefighters who had earlier responded to blazes in Ninski Stanovi, were dispatched via an extraordinary ferry service from Zadar. This marks another demanding engagement for Zadar's firefighters on the same day, following two earlier fires in the Zadar area.

This new fire on Dugi Otok comes as Croatia grapples with the severe consequences of a catastrophic fire near Omis. That blaze, which ignited near Lokva Rogoznica, spread rapidly towards Omis, destroying homes and forcing the evacuation of residents and tourists. The Omis fire resulted in multiple injuries and the discovery of a young person's body. The full extent of the material damage from that incident is still being assessed.

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The fire is burning open space, primarily scrubland and forest.