VIDEO: Thick smoke blankets Dalmatia as highway disappears into white haze

A thick blanket of smoke from major fires in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina covered much of Dalmatia on Sunday. A video sent by a reader from a highway showed the surrounding landscape almost completely swallowed by white haze, with visibility noticeably reduced.

People across the wider Dalmatian region also reported an intense smell of burning. Croatia’s Civil Protection Headquarters said the smoke and odor came from fires in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Fires were active in several areas, with smoke from Rama and Tomislavgrad spreading toward Posušje and Grude in West Herzegovina.

Local civil protection officials warned that the air was polluted. AccuWeather data showed a high level of pollution in Posušje that could be unhealthy for sensitive groups. Another major fire broke out near Ljubuški, along the Koćuša to Vojnići route, where forest, grass and low vegetation were burning across difficult terrain.

Additional volunteer firefighting forces were sent to help local crews. Aerial support was also activated: two Croatian Canadair aircraft arrived at the fire near Ljubuša, while an Air Tractor was redirected to a fire near Rujišta, close to Mostar. Firefighters and volunteers used heavy machinery as they tried to stop the blaze.

Ivan Vukadin, president of the Government of Herzeg-Bosnia Canton and commander of its civil protection headquarters, said the situation was serious. He noted that smoke carried toward Tomislavgrad by the wind made conditions at the fire appear even worse. Air quality was also extremely poor at several measuring stations around Šibenik and in Drniš, while Brodarica recorded very poor conditions. Authorities requested air-quality testing across Split-Dalmatia County, and initial readings showed elevated concentrations of airborne particles on the mainland and islands.

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The situation is serious.