Fire on Vrgada Devours 17.5 Hectares of Pine Forest
56 firefighters and six firefighting aircraft took part in extinguishing the fire on the Zadar island. Ten firefighters remained for overnight mop-up operations.
56 firefighters and six firefighting aircraft took part in extinguishing the fire on the Zadar island. Ten firefighters remained for overnight mop-up operations.
Firefighters from the Zadar County area remain on high alert on the island of Vrgada, where a wildfire broke out overnight from Saturday to Sunday. The blaze engulfed a pine forest at two locations, and according to the Croatian Firefighting Association (HVZ), the total burned area exceeds 17.5 hectares.
The County Fire Operations Center (ŽVOC) of Zadar County received the fire report on August 9, 2026, at 12:55 AM. Units from the Zadar County Firefighting Association and the volunteer fire departments of Pakoštane, Polača, and Sveti Filip i Jakov were immediately dispatched to the scene. A total of 56 firefighters were transported to the island by boat to tackle the blaze.
Ground forces received significant air support as well. Six firefighting aircraft were involved in the suppression efforts, including two Canadair CL-415s and four Airtractors. Two of the Airtractors were redirected from their regular firefighting reconnaissance duties.
Although the fire has been brought under control, the danger has not fully passed. Ten firefighters from the volunteer fire departments of Sveti Filip i Jakov, Polača, and Pakoštane remained at the fire site overnight, conducting patrols and mop-up operations to prevent any potential rekindling.
The night of August 8-9 was also challenging for firefighters in other parts of the country. In the area of Marinići, Straža in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, a report of a grass and low vegetation fire was received at 2:57 AM. The intervention involved 49 firefighters with 14 vehicles from the Rijeka Public Fire Brigade and the volunteer societies of Sušak, Halubjan, Drenova, and Kastav. The fire, which affected four hectares, was extinguished at 6:13 PM.
In Split-Dalmatia County, two prolonged operations were concluded on the same day. The fire at the bulky waste dump in Prapratnica near Prgomet, which broke out on July 31, was finally extinguished on August 9 at noon. Earlier, at 9:30 AM, a wildfire in the Lećevica area was extinguished, with the report received the previous day, August 8, at 4:10 PM.
