Localized Fires in Istria, Istrian Demands Urgent Ban on Fireworks
Firefighters Respond to 131 Incidents in Recent Days, Kruno Pekas Sends Open Letter to County Prefect
Firefighters Respond to 131 Incidents in Recent Days, Kruno Pekas Sends Open Letter to County Prefect
A series of fires that have swept through Istria and Dalmatia in recent days have been brought under control, but a citizens' initiative to ban fireworks during the summer is gaining momentum. Kruno Pekas, better known as Vrtlar Kruno, has sent an open letter to the Istrian County Prefect and council members of the Istrian County Assembly, demanding an urgent change in practice.
According to data from the Croatian Firefighting Association, as reported by Morski, 131 firefighting interventions were recorded in the said period. They involved 169 firefighting organizations with a total of 602 firefighters and 201 vehicles, as well as four firefighting aircraft. The total burned area reached 12.5 hectares.
The County Firefighting Operations Center (ŽVOC) of the Istrian County received a report of a fire in the settlement of Markovići in the Municipality of Oprtalj on August 1, 2026, at 12:09 PM. The fire affected grass, low vegetation, maquis, and forest on an area of 30 hectares. 38 firefighters with 15 vehicles and two Canadair CL-415 aircraft participated in extinguishing it. The fire was localized, and during the day and night of August 2, work was done on remediation and securing the fire site.
On the same day, at 12:05 PM, the ŽVOC received a report of a fire in the settlement of Orihi in the Municipality of Barban. Here too, grass and low vegetation burned over 30 hectares. 57 firefighters with 17 vehicles and three Canadair CL-415 aircraft were engaged. The situation became complicated on August 2, 2026, when the fire reactivated, so in addition to ground forces, two Air Tractors were engaged, one of which was redirected from a firefighting reconnaissance mission. The fire was finally localized at 3:00 PM.
In the Split-Dalmatia County, the fire at the bulky waste disposal site in the settlement of Prapatnica (Prgomet), for which the ŽVOC received a report on July 31, 2026, is under the supervision of firefighters. The fire spread beyond the landfill to grass and low vegetation on an area currently estimated at two hectares. Fires in Vrsi have been localized, while, according to the headline of Morski's report, a fire remains active in the area of Ravni Vrdovi, although details of that intervention are not provided in the content.
In the midst of battling the fiery element, Kruno Pekas, better known as Vrtlar Kruno, reacted to a recent fireworks display in Fažana. As reported by Dnevno.hr, he sent an open letter to the Istrian County Prefect and council members, requesting that a ban on the use of pyrotechnics during the summer months be considered.
"Unacceptable during fire season,"Pekas said, emphasizing that the initiative was launched due to, as he states, the increased risk to nature and people.
