TWO FIRES IN ZADAR AREA LOCALISED BUT ARMY CALLED IN FOR NEW BLAZE

( Editorial: --> 1399 ) ZADAR, Aug 2 (Hina) - Fire fighters have managed to localise two forest fires in the Zadar County despite the presence of mine fields hampering efforts. Zadar County Police Department said the blaze which erupted near Novigrad on Saturday night had finally been localised at about 8pm on Sunday. Winds had initially spread the fire but fire fighters had been able to start extinguishing the blaze once it left mined areas and approached roads. Although the fire had two fronts, towards Pridraza and the settlements of Podgrad and Paljuv, no homes were damaged. Professional fire brigades from Zadar, Biograd and Benkovac as well as volunteer units, a Canadair plane and fire fighting helicopter had been involved in combating the blaze. Meanwhile, another blaze which erupted this morning near Skabrnje had been stopped at about 8pm, with most of the burnt area containing mines. Zadar Police Department fire fighting unit deputy chief Ivo Juresko said the area burnt was not known because of the minefields. Other small blazes in the Zadar area had been quickly put out, he said. However, a blaze in region between Gracac and Knin, near Velika Popina and Mala Popina, has still not been put out. The terrain is largely inaccessible and mountainous, so Croatian Army troops have been called in to assist fire fighting brigades from Zadar and Knin. Low-lying vegetation and pine forests have been engulfed in the blaze. (Hina) mbr 022224 MET aug 98