Footage from the Dubrava area near Šibenik reveals tall grass, maquis, and discarded waste posing a serious fire hazard, with the article's author warning of the local population's laziness and neglect.
Neglected vegetation and discarded waste along the road near Šibenik clearly demonstrate how fires in Dalmatia actually start. In the Dubrava area, on the way to the Podi industrial zone, a scene was captured that reveals a shameful truth about ourselves, as described by article author Jurica Gašpar for Morski.
The vegetation along the road is completely neglected. Grass that sprouted during the frequent spring rains is in places over a meter tall, while maquis and highly flammable Aleppo pine spread uncontrollably and densely right up to the road. It is precisely from such places, it is noted, that a good number of fires start.
To make matters worse, behind the first trees and bushes along the road, highly flammable and toxic waste is being dumped. This includes paints, varnishes, and other chemical compounds, construction materials, old furniture, and similar waste.
A spark from a power line, a discarded cigarette butt, or a focused sun ray through a piece of thrown glass is all it takes. With strong winds fanning the flames, the cause, the culprit, and the consequence quickly combine into a fire.
The author raises the question of whether the culprits are tourists or some other group, or whether it is actually ourselves-lazy individuals who poison ourselves and our own children. The answer, as he suggests, lies in changing the mindset of the people living in these areas and returning to their own roots.
