EFFORTS CONTINUE TO PUT OUT VELEBIT BLAZE; ZLARIN FIRE EXTINGUISHED

( Editorial: --> 3353 ) ZAGREB, Aug 12 (Hina) - Members of Zadar County fire brigades and special police units are continuing efforts to put out a blaze that broke out last night in the area of Libinjska Kosa on Mt Velebit. The fire has already burnt 35ha of mostly grassland, the Croatian Government's Crisis Committee said in its latest report on the fire situation in Croatia as at 7pm on Wednesday. The Committee said another fire has erupted in the Zadar County near Bruska, where about 200ha of low-lying scrub has been burnt. Located on the ground are professional firefighters from Benkovac and Zadar, as well as members of volunteer fire brigades and the Croatian Army. During this afternoon several smaller fires broke out in the Zadar County and efforts are underway to extinguish them. Sibenik-Knin County fire units are currently trying to put under control fires which have broken out in four locations - Miljevci, Pakovo Selo, Krivici and Oklaj. The fires have burnt grassland and low-lying scrub, and are being extinguished by the County's professional and volunteer fire brigades. The largest of these fires is between Oklaj and Marici where 200ha has been burnt. About 20 firefighters and 20 Croatian Army soldiers with seven fire vehicles are involved in the extinguishing operation which is being hampered by the presence of mines. Just before noon a new blaze erupted at Plano just behind the central Adriatic town of Trogir towards Kastel-Labin. About 90 firefighters with 17 fire vehicles are engaged in the operation here, with the fire already burning 20ha of mostly low-lying scrub and grassland. The fire on the southern Adriatic island of Korcula is still active between Zavlatica and Cara, and on a location east of the settlement of Blato. There continue to be about 700 firefighters working in shifts and 30 or so fire vehicles involved in extinguishing efforts, as well as air support from a plane and MI-8 TV helicopter. Firefighters on neighbouring Lastovo island are working on clearing up burnt areas and still active fire scenes, including the Kosovo Polje-Polje Duboko front and the Bozonji Dol area. There are about 300 firefighters and 10 fire vehicles involved in operations combating the blazes. The fires on St Elias hill overlooking Orebic (Peljesac peninsula), on Vepar hill near Bistrina on the border with Bosnia-Herzegovina and in the area of Snjeznica are under control. The fire that erupted at 2.30pm this afternoon on the north- eastern, uninhabited side of the small central Adriatic island of Zlarin has been extinguished. The blaze burnt about 10ha of dense pine forest and engaged in the efforts are professional and volunteer fire brigades from the Sibenik area, local residents and a port tugboat. Sinj firefighters had to return to Otisic, between Sinj and Vrlika (inland Dalmatia) at about 6pm on Wednesday night when a previously extinguished fire re-emerged. They managed to put out the blaze. This was after they put out a six-hour blaze in Dicam burnt at least 20ha of juniper and oak forest. There was no rest for firefighters in the Sinj area, however, when a new front emerged at about 8pm behind Lisak near Mali Mosor. The fire their is mostly on inaccessible terrain. (Hina) mbr 122354 MET aug 98