Aircraft, firefighters battle wildfires along Croatia's Adriatic coast

Reuters
Updated ·1 min read

RASLINA, Croatia (Reuters) - Croatian authorities deployed firefighting aircraft and dozens of firefighters and soldiers on Thursday in an effort to contain three major wildfires along the country's Adriatic coast.

The wildfires, fanned by strong winds, broke out earlier this week as flames caught dry brush and low vegetation in the areas of Zadar and in the Sibenik. Around 20 homes were burned, authorities said. There were no reported casualties.

Arndt Dreste, 55, moved to the village of Raslina, near Sibenik in January, after selling all his property in Germany. His house was severely damaged by the fire.

"I bought this house in January ... I (am) cut off from Germany and this is my life here ... it was here," Dreste told Reuters showing the charred walls of his home.

The World Meteorological Organisation warned on Tuesday the heatwave was spreading and intensifying in large parts of Europe.

With human-caused climate change triggering droughts, the number of extreme wildfires was expected to increase 30% within the next 28 years, according to a February 2022 U.N. report.

(Reporting by Antonio Bronic in Raslina, Writing by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Alex Richardson)