A fire that broke out on Friday evening along the Rijeka-Zagreb railway line was contained during the night into Saturday. This morning, extinguishing operations are ongoing, with crews relieved after an all-night fight against the flames.
Around forty firefighters battled the blaze all night after it erupted on Friday evening on inaccessible terrain near the Rijeka-Zagreb railway line-and they succeeded. The largest forest fire in the Rijeka region this season was contained during the night into Saturday, August 8, 2026, as confirmed by the firefighters themselves this morning.
By 9 a.m. on Saturday, the situation was stable. The fire is still active, but there is no further spread, and the extinguishing phase is underway. A shift change was carried out during the night-units from the peak of the operation were withdrawn and replaced by fresh crews.
Firefighting operations began on Friday, August 7, shortly after 6 p.m. In addition to the Rijeka City Public Fire Brigade, volunteer units from Drenova, Sušak, Bakar, and Kraljevica were also engaged. At the peak of the operation, late Friday evening, around forty firefighters were on the ground.
The inaccessible terrain required additional logistics. A railway train played a crucial role-it was used to supply water to a location that was difficult to reach with other equipment. Without that train, continuous firefighting would have been nearly impossible.
To assess the scale of the fire and pinpoint the exact location of the blaze, firefighters relied on a drone as early as Friday evening. Its use continued on Saturday morning-this time to monitor the terrain and coordinate the extinguishing efforts.
The cause of the fire is not yet known. Although it broke out in the immediate vicinity of the railway line, the exact cause has yet to be determined by a police investigation. On Saturday morning, around ten firefighters were on site, and the situation is being continuously monitored-additional forces will be activated depending on how events unfold.
