- Title: Croatian firefighters struggle to control blaze in Split area
- Date: 18th July 2017
- Summary: NEAR SPLIT, CROATIA (JULY 17-18, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF WILDFIRE RAGING EMERGENCY VEHICLE ON BRIDGE WITH SIREN MORE OF WILDFIRE VARIOUS OF EVACUATED RESIDENTS WATCHING ON VARIOUS OF WILDFIRE MORE OF RESIDENTS SITTING OUTSIDE WATCHING ON MORE OF WILDFIRE FIRE BRIGADE VEHICLE AT SCENE MORE OF FIRE
- Embargoed: 1st August 2017 03:21
- Keywords: wildfires Croatia Split
- Location: NEAR SPLIT, CROATIA
- City: NEAR SPLIT, CROATIA
- Country: Croatia
- Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Fires
- Reuters ID: LVA0016Q8TPVR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Croatian firefighters battled for a full day to control a forest fire along the Adriatic coast that has damaged and destroyed buildings in villages around the city of Split, reaching the Split suburbs late on Monday (July 17).
One death has been reported, although it was not clear whether the cause was a heart attack or smoke inhalation.
By the evening hours, the blaze had reached eastern suburbs of Split. Some parts of the city were without water or electricity. Visitors were asked to leave two shopping malls as the smoke entered ventilation systems. The fire has also reached the city's waste dumping site.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said that if necessary Croatia might consider asking for help from its European Union partners.
Earlier in the day several houses and around a dozen cars were burnt. A church in one of the villages was saved when firefighters extinguished flames heading towards the building.
Some 400 firefighters struggled to bring the blaze under control in an area largely covered by pine forest and scrubland. Around 20 smaller fires were burning elsewhere in the southern Croatian region of Dalmatia.
The cause of the fire around Split, the second biggest Croatian city and a popular tourist destination, was unknown. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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