CROATIAN PREMIER VISITS FIRE-CONSUMED ISLAND OF HVAR

STARI GRAD, July 30 (Hina) - Croatian Premier Zlatko Matesa, Croatian Development and Reconstruction Minister Jure Radic and Croatian Interior Minister Ivan Penic on Wednesday afternoon held a working meeting with firemen, police officials, mayors and municipality heads of the island of Hvar, where a fire burned down 3,00 hectares of land in the past three days. According to the head of the Croatian fire-fighters, Mladen Jurina, the fire was under control which, as he said, did not mean that it had been put out. The whole Croatian fire-fighting department was on the island as of yesterday, he added. At 3 pm the wind started blowing harder which makes it difficult to ascertain how the situation will progress or if the fire will be entirely put + out. As the firemen informed Premier Matesa, the fire was started by live coals from a previous fire. Matesa was satisfied that no one had been hurt in such a big fire and that, thanks to the great efforts of the Croatian firemen, the flames did not consume a single house. Since lavender fields, vineyards and olive-groves could unfortunately not be saved from the flames, the Premier asked that a precise survey of the damage be made, so that the Government could assist people whose income depends on the burned land. (hina) ha mm 301704 MET jul 97