Following the fire on Gorica of St. Blaise, the Srdj is the City party sharply criticizes responsible services for failing to enforce the law and warns of potentially catastrophic consequences.
The Srdj is the City party issued a sharp statement following the fire that broke out on the night of August 11-12, 2026, on Gorica of St. Blaise in Dubrovnik. In the statement released on August 12, they directly called out the police and municipal inspectors, asking: "Police and municipal inspectors, do you plan to start doing your job, or are we waiting for Petka and Gradac to burn down too?"
The party notes that citizens are still deeply shaken by the fire, which at one point threatened homes, and they rightly wonder how this could have happened at all. The answer, they say, is simple: "because laws and municipal regulations are not enforced, and those who violate them go unpunished."
The statement details the legal regulations that, according to them, were violated. In the City of Dubrovnik, except in special cases, public fireworks are prohibited. Article 145 of the Decision on Municipal Order prohibits the staging of public fireworks within the city area, with exceptions such as the opening of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, New Year's celebrations, and other events of significance to the City of Dubrovnik, which are approved by the mayor.
For private individuals, the Law on Explosive Substances and the Production and Trade of Weapons allows adults to use pyrotechnic devices of categories F2 and F3 only from December 27 to January 1, exclusively in open spaces and never in areas where large numbers of citizens gather. Higher-category pyrotechnics, such as F4, P1, P2, T1, and T2, are not permitted for private use.
From Srdj is the City, they state that last night's fire was not "some unpredictable set of circumstances" but rather "only a matter of time before it happened." They warn that after an initial period of strict enforcement in 2023 and 2024, the vigilance of authorities has clearly waned in the last two years. Throughout the year, especially in summer, fireworks are again being used to celebrate private parties, birthdays, weddings, local festivities, football matches, and significant anniversaries.
The result, they emphasize, is that approximately 6,000 square meters of Gorica of St. Blaise, which they describe as Dubrovnik's invaluable greenery, have been scorched. "So, this should never have happened, regardless of who is responsible," the party states.
Srdj is the City stresses that there are evidently people in the city who care neither about their fellow citizens, the city, its greenery, nor the law, but that appealing to their conscience is not enough. "That is what the law, municipal order, and the institutions that should enforce them are for," reads the statement, as reported by Dubrovnik Insider.
They particularly highlighted the firefighters, who, they say, tirelessly warn of the fire danger. "It is time for everyone, apart from the firefighters who tirelessly warn us, to take fires and their consequences seriously. It is time for municipal inspectors and the police to start doing their job," they urge.
The warning concludes with a rhetorical question pointing to potentially even worse scenarios: "Or will we wait for Petka, Gradac, someone's house, or an apartment building to burn down? For someone to die?"
