ZAGREB, Aug 24 (Hina) - The Croatian Government, which on Thursday started its first session after the summer break with a report on fires in Croatia, requested the ministries of internal affairs and defence to send new firefighters
and firefighting units to fire sites, who will replace their colleagues who are exhausted after having battled fires for days.
ZAGREB, Aug 24 (Hina) - The Croatian Government, which on Thursday
started its first session after the summer break with a report on
fires in Croatia, requested the ministries of internal affairs and
defence to send new firefighters and firefighting units to fire
sites, who will replace their colleagues who are exhausted after
having battled fires for days. #L#
Despite the exceptionally difficult conditions - extremely high
temperatures and drought - damage caused by fires in Croatia is not
as extensive as it could be, thanks to the improved organisation and
coordination of firefighting units on the ground, Prime Minister
Ivica Racan said.
Interior Minister Sime Lucin reported that 23 fires were currently
burning, of which seven were major fires, which pose a threat to
commercial and other buildings.
According to a report from the Interior Ministry, 936 fires broke
out in the past three weeks, of which 211 broke out in facilities and
725 in the open, spreading over an area of some 9,000 hectares.
Damage is estimated at more than 150 million kuna.
The fires were caused mainly be lighting fires in the open and there
are indications that some were planted, Lucin said.
The situation is complex, he said, but not dramatic, as the media
have been reporting. There have been no casualties so far. Four
residential buildings and about 20 commercial facilities were
burned down in the past three weeks.
The situation has been deteriorating recently and according to
weather forecasters, no rain is expected in the next seven days.
We did expect a difficult situation, but we could not have expected
such heat and drought, Lucin said.
(hina) jn rml