- Title: CROATIA-FIRES/VINEYARDS Croatia’s vineyards count damages from fires
- Date: 27th July 2015
- Summary: TRSTENIK, CROATIA (JULY 26, 2015) (REUTERS) SEASIDE VILLAGE OF TRSTENIK AND BURNED TREES ON HILL ABOVE BURNED PINE FOREST SMOKE RISING NEXT TO ROAD SMOKING FOREST VARIOUS OF FIRE FIGHTERS PATROLLING THROUGH FOREST BURNED AREA VARIOUS OF CAR ON ROAD PASSING THROUGH BURNED AREA UNAFFECTED VINEYARD GRAPES ON VINE WINE BARREL NEXT TO ROAD, SIGN READING (English) "WINE BAR" SIG
- Embargoed: 11th August 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Croatia
- Country: Croatia
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA1T6ZPXBMOWZA0232YDD82U01G
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Fires raging for a week on Croatia's Peljesac peninsula in the south of the country have burned down around 1,000 hectares of prized vineyards and olive groves in one of the country's most renowned wine-producing regions.
Another 2,500 hectares burned in the fires that hit the country after a wave of record high temperatures were pristine pine forests that made up the region's picturesque landscape.
One of the vineyards most affected by the blaze is owned by Ivan Kunjasic, a winemaker who took over the business near the coastal village of Trstenik from his father in 1998.
"These vines have been cultivated here for 30, 40, 50 years, generation after generation kept it going so they could produce quality wine," Kunjasic told Reuters on Sunday (July 26).
In just under 20 years, Kunjasic tripled the capacity of his vineyard, which is planted with only the high-quality varieties of red vine that Peljesac is famous for.
But the fire decimated Kunjasic's land, destroying some 20,000 vines and 80 olive trees.
"What has happened here is a disaster. They say money can do anything, but this is about whether one has the will to re-start everything, because one needs to wait for all of this (to regrow). I don't know what to tell you," he said.
Kunjasic added it would take at least four to five years for damaged vines to recover full production, and some two to three years to regenerate the soil in places where vines have burned down completely before it could be ready for fresh planting.
The 64-year-old winemaker said the future of his vineyard was uncertain as repairing the devastating damage would require a lot of determination and perseverance, as well as help from the authorities.
"It's hard to give up on something you have and love. But I don't know how it will be going forward, whether there will be solidarity, whether there will be more human decency than usual, I don't know," Kunjasic said.
Several dozen residents had to be evacuated from Trstenik during the raging forest fire which surrounded the village last week, with a line of fire stretching over more than two kilometers (1.2 miles) devouring thick pine forests and vineyards.
About a hundred firefighters supported by two fire-fighting planes spent days relentlessly struggling to keep the fire away from houses, and the fire was mostly put out by Saturday (July 25) with no human casualties.
Another fire on the nearby Korcula island, a popular tourist destination, had destroyed hundreds of hectares of pine forest at the same time.
Croatia has had a week of unusually high temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius, making forest fires along its Adriatic tourist coast increasingly likely. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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