220 firefighters battle wildfire on Croatia's Korčula island, two injured

Fire outbreak and immediate response

The fire ignited on Saturday, 11 July, in the Kapja area between the settlements of Blato and Smokvica. Strong winds drove the flames rapidly across rough, difficult-to-access terrain. Within hours the blaze had engulfed approximately 550 hectares of pine forest and grassland, according to the portal 24sata.hr. More than 200 firefighters were deployed, a number later specified as 220 by HRK. They were supported by 72 fire engines and four firefighting aircraft, with additional units called in from mainland Croatia.

The Dubrovnik-Neretva County fire commander Stjepan Simović described the operation:

Firefighting and securing the area is ongoing. The situation looks better, but we remain cautious because of the extensive area affected by the fire. We have recorded two cases of minor injuries among firefighters.

The national road linking Vela Luka and Korčula town was temporarily closed on Saturday night as the front approached, and authorities urged residents and tourists to avoid the zone.

Weather shift brings relief

Saturday night was expected to be the most difficult phase. Commander Simović had warned of a very hard night ahead. Early Sunday morning, however, a sudden change in weather brought rainfall over the burning area. The unexpected rain, noted by the maritime portal morski.hr, significantly aided the containment effort and prevented a worst-case scenario. By Sunday the road had been reopened, although drivers were still advised to choose alternative routes if their journey was not strictly necessary.

Resident accounts

Local resident Katica Šeparović told the daily Jutarnji list that she spent the night in fear.

I felt really terrible. It was very difficult to watch this from my house. The fire was too close; we feared it would reach our house, I cried.

Šeparović said she only calmed down when the rain began.

National firefighting context

The fire on Korčula was part of a broader wave of incidents across Croatia. The Croatian Firefighting Association (HVZ) reported that in the preceding 24 hours the country recorded 145 firefighting interventions, involving 247 units, 1,024 firefighters and 353 vehicles. On the same day, crews also extinguished a fire in Sali on the island of Dugi Otok and brought a separate blaze in Telašćica Nature Park under control.

What's next

Firefighting and mop-up operations continued through Sunday. Simović stressed that monitoring would be necessary for several days because of the wide area burned and the difficult terrain. An investigation into the exact cause of the fire will begin only after extinguishing and securing of the site are fully completed, Croatian authorities said.