Residents of Radoševac Fear Fire
For nearly a decade, they have been warning about a neglected grove next to their building at Put Radoševca 25 and 27, and inspections have confirmed the danger that no one is addressing.
For nearly a decade, they have been warning about a neglected grove next to their building at Put Radoševca 25 and 27, and inspections have confirmed the danger that no one is addressing.
Residents of the building at Put Radoševca 25 and 27 in Split's Trstenik neighborhood have been fighting for nearly a decade against a neglected grove located right next to their home. This green area has over the years turned into an impassable jungle full of dry branches and grass, and residents fear it could catch fire and threaten their apartments.
Dunja Erceg, representative of about seventy residents, told Slobodna Dalmacija that the building was constructed in the early 2000s, and residents were delighted with the green space beside it. "However, no one apparently took care of that grove, and over the years it turned into a real impassable jungle, full of dry branches and grass that has crept closer to the building, and we fear it could ignite and cause a major disaster," she said.
The western side of the area is registered in the cadastre as agricultural land owned by the Puškarić and Birtić families, while the northern side, bordering Bračka Street, is owned by the City of Split as the successor to the former "Jadro" company. On that side, there is also a drainage ditch, so during heavy rains, water flows toward the building.
Initially, residents offered to clean up the grove themselves, but the private owners strictly forbade it. "Eventually, one of them cleaned up a bit a few years ago, but it grew back, while the other never did, and the city-owned area was never cleaned either," Erceg recounted.
After residents filed a complaint, the agricultural inspection of the State Inspectorate went to the site, identified the plot owners, and forwarded the case to the City of Split. The fire inspection also became involved and confirmed the existence of a fire hazard.
"So, we're not talking about residents merely assessing that the forest is 'dangerous.' The competent institutions went to the site, assessed the situation, and officially acted on the complaint. The forest still looks catastrophic. Dry trees and dense vegetation remain right next to our building. The danger hasn't disappeared-on the contrary, the vegetation has grown back, and what was a problem more than a year ago is still present today," Erceg emphasized.
A year later, residents have again appealed to the City of Split, Mayor Tomislav Šuta, and other competent institutions, hoping that the process will finally be completed. "We are particularly concerned that all this is happening at a time when we almost daily witness serious fires across Croatia and Dalmatia," she added.
On the day Slobodna Dalmacija visited Radoševac, Split's agricultural wardens were also on site. The municipal officials promised residents that the city-owned "jungle" on the northern side of the building would be cleared, while the fate of the private plots remains uncertain.
"In the decision and official documentation we can provide, the entire sequence of events is clearly visible: the residents' complaint, the agricultural inspection's visit, the assessment of the plot's condition, the involvement of the fire inspection, the confirmed fire hazard, and the obligation of owners to remove what poses a danger," concluded the residents' representative.
