ZAGREB, August 20, 2019 – Defence Minister Damir Krstičević on Tuesday stated that the relevant services had to be on alert in the next two months until the end of this year’s fire season and that a thousand soldiers were also at the disposal to quickly help to put out fires.
Krstičević, who was addressing fire-fighters during his tour of the Divulje fire-fighting operational command centre, called on services to be on alert until the end of the fire-fighting season so that the large wildfires such had been on the Pelješac peninsula last September would not be repeated.
The Croatian Army is here to assist fire-fighters and 200 soldiers can react within an hour and one thousand can be available within three hours, the minister said.
He underlined the importance of the Divulje centre which receives all the necessary information in real time to make decisions on engaging forces to react to fires. He also highlighted the use of drones over the past month which significantly contributed to preventing fires.
Fire Chief Slavko Tucaković said that this season recorded the second highest number of fires in the past ten years but they weren’t as fierce as those in 2017.
“This year about 32,000 hectares has been burnt which is about the size of the island of Hvar, of that about 18,000 hectares was along the coast,” said Tucaković.
More news about firefighting in Croatia can be found in the Lifestyle section.
