HRT Cameraman Swaps Camera for Fire Hose

HRT cameraman Matija Bajsić from the Čakovec-Varaždin bureau swapped his camera for a fire hose and headed to Dalmatia to help fight the fires. He told HRT Magazine that after a routine workday, upon returning home to Marija Bistrica, he received a call he couldn't refuse.

Orders Came Thursday Before Midnight

"We received orders from the chief fire commander on Thursday before midnight. We gathered and set off to assist in Dalmatia. After driving all night, we arrived at the scene in the early morning hours and were met with terrifying sights," Bajsić recounted.

Apocalyptic Scenes in Lokva Rogoznica

What awaited him in Lokva Rogoznica, he says, will be hard to forget. The fire was devouring everything in its path, and people were fleeing in fear to save their lives.

"The scenes were apocalyptic. People were abandoning their vehicles and literally running down the road toward the sea to save their own skins. At that point, neither property nor anything else mattered."

Praise for the First Response Units That Defended Omiš

Bajsić, who has years of firefighting experience and has faced numerous challenging terrains, emphasizes that this operation was the toughest of his career. He particularly praised his colleagues who stood against the firestorm near Omiš.

"I'd like to say hats off to those first response firefighting units who actually defended Omiš. Against a fire of that intensity, with those people who managed to hold the line, from my experience, hats off," he said.

A Humanitarian Job at the Expense of Family

Behind every firefighter heading to the field are those waiting for their return. For Matija, that's his wife and children. "There has to be understanding because this is, after all, a humanitarian job, and we're there to help, often at the expense of our families we leave at home," he stated.

Matija is back with his loved ones and at work, hoping that a firefighting operation like this will never happen again.