Fire Near Omiš: 'This Is an Apocalypse,' Damage Up to €800,000
Residents return to the ashes and tally up massive losses. One woman died, and several seriously injured are being treated in hospitals. Business owners left without boats and cafes.
Residents return to the ashes and tally up massive losses. One woman died, and several seriously injured are being treated in hospitals. Business owners left without boats and cafes.
The fire that ravaged the Omiš area has left behind scenes of immense destruction. Now, locals are returning to their homes, trying to assess the extent of the damage. One person lost their life in the fire, and several seriously injured individuals remain hospitalized, still suffering from the effects.
Among those who returned to the ashes is Ivica Marijanović from Čelina. His property has suffered extensive damage, which he estimates at between €700,000 and €800,000. 'At first, I didn't feel much emotion, but yesterday I cried the whole way. It's not so much my own property that weighs on me, but others'. This is a real catastrophe,' he told RTL.
Local entrepreneurs have also suffered heavy losses. Ante Kovačić, who runs a boat service in Vrisovci, lost multiple vessels at two different locations. 'At this site, seven or eight boats burned down, and at another, four more. The damage is huge,' he recounted. His work van and scooter were also destroyed.
Cafe owner Josip Čapeta also lost his establishment. While others retreated, he, along with his father and one employee, tried to save what they had built over the years. 'We built everything with our own hands and stayed to fight until the very end. We didn't run,' he said. Despite their efforts, the fire destroyed the cafe that was the source of income for eight people.
Meanwhile, BBC News reports that people who fled the fire in Stourbridge, England, are beginning to return home and are only now discovering the extent of the damage to their properties.
