Wildfires in Dalmatia: Zadar Fires Put Out, Still Burning Near Benkovac, New Fires Spreading to Drniš Area

A dozen separate fires are raging in Zadar County, reports Index.hr on August 21, 2017.

19.50 Evacuation of the population was ordered in settlements of Promina municipality. As HRT reports, the most difficult situation is in places called Lepuri, Pristeg and Vrani. The situation at Vrani is dramatic. The area around the inhabited area is mined, which is why the firefighters cannot enter, only the air forces are working to prevent the fire from spreading to the nearby inhabited area and vineyards.

18.55 Due to wildfires traffic is suspended on the A1 motorway between Benkovac and Pirovac junctions in both directions. The A1 motorway in direction Zagreb is closed between Šibenik and Pirovac junctions. There are queues at Benkovac junction in the direction of Split (2 km) and at Šibenik junction in the direction towards Zagreb (3 km).

The following roads are also closed for traffic:

• DC27 state road Benkovac-Stankovci
• ŽC6051 county road Perušić Benkovački – Kolarina
• ŽC6258 Smilčić-Islam Latinski (DC56)
• DC59 state road in the town of Kistanje and all other local and county roads in the vicinity, reports HAK.

18.45 All air forces are currently focused on putting out two large fires in Pristoj and Popovići in the Zadar County, Ministry of Defense reports. A new request for an immediate arrival of air force came from Trbounja near Drniš, where the air forces will head out after extinguishing the fires in Pristeg and Popovići. At the same time, two Mi-8 MTV helicopters are putting out the fire in Kistanje. Ministry of Defense states that all efforts are made to defend the settlements and homes.

18.40 Oleg Butković, Minister of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure, has issued a warrant to lift all ramps on the parts of the A1 motorway which are closed due to fire, reports Dnevnik.hr

“When they saw the fire, people on the highway panicked and started driving in the opposite direction. In cooperation with the police, the situation is under control now. .From Benkovac to Pirovac, most of the roads are mined which is why the canadairs cannot be used there.Maybe we should have open the ramps earlier, but there were no columns at first. Everything is normalized now,” Butković said.

18.03 As posted on the Facebook page, “Vatrogasci – Oni su naši heroji” (Firefighters – They Are Our Heroes), firefighters from the mainland came to help out their fellow fighters in Dalmatia.

17.15  Zadarski List reports that several smaller fires that were burning during the day in the area of Pristeg near Benkovac have merged into to one large fire that affected several family houses and commercial facilities in that place.  According to the latest information, two houses burnt down. The fire is put out by JVP members from Ivanić Grad with several vehicles, while the angry locals are mad because none of Canadairs and Airtractors came to their aid.

Photo by: Zadarski List reader

16.18 The HAK reported that due to the fire on the A1 motorway at the Benkovac, Pirovac and Zadar II toll stations, the toll collection was suspended.

 

 

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