TO DATE 538 FOREST FIRES HAVE BROKEN OUT IN CROATIA

DUBROVNIK, Aug 23 (Hina) - Croatia's President Stjepan Mesic on Wednesday toured the fire-stricken areas near Dubrovnik and the village of Majkovi where a few houses burnt down last night. The blaze, which is not yet brought under control, has spread from the border area with Bosnia-Herzegovina towards the municipality of the Dubrovacko Primorje and consumed over 1,500 hectares of oak and pine forests, low plants and agricultural crops. Engaged in the attempts to extinguish this blaze are fire-fighters, locals and Croatian Army's troops, supported by a fire-fighting plane. According to the public company "Hrvatske Sume (Croatian Forests)" since the start of this year 538 forest fires have broken out. They have consumed 20,258 hectares of forests and other plants. The damage is huge and cannot yet be exactly assessed. Most of them - 452 - have taken place in the coastal areas and on islands, where 19,519 hectares have burnt down. Extremely high temperatures and this summer's long drought have been favourable conditions for fires to break out. This year has seen more blazes as against 1999 when 223 forest fires were recorded and 6,500 hectares burnt. (hina) jn ms