Only recently did we report on boat fires in Croatian ports and marinas. Now there has been another fire drama, this time six fishing boats in Omišalj on Krk caught fire.
Normally, many visitors to Croatia know the municipality of Omišalj, with its population of 3,000, because of Rijeka International Airport. However, it is also popular as a holiday destination, having been founded by the Romans as Fulfinium as early as the 3rd century. It derived its strategic importance from its location on an 80 m high rock, from which the Kvarner Bay can still be well overlooked today. The remains of an early Christian basilica date from the time of its foundation.
But yesterday, Omišalj was on everyone’s lips because of a fire that, according to morski.hr, broke out in the early morning hours and caused several boats to catch fire. Access to the scene of the fire was reportedly restricted, which made the extinguishing work difficult. Dense smoke reportedly spread quickly over the fire area.
Six fishing boats caught fire – the cause of the fire is currently unclear
Morski.hr refers to “unofficial information” stating that six fishing boats caught fire in the blaze; due to the strong wind, the fire also spread to the nearby forest on the other side of the road.
The area affected by the fire consists mainly of holiday homes. The fire brigade attempted to prevent the flames from spreading to residential buildings, the report continued. Weather conditions reportedly exacerbated the situation further. According to a statement from an HRT reporter, details regarding the cause of the fire can only be given after the police investigation of the scene and the completion of the extinguishing work by the fire brigade.
In Kvarner and Kvarnerić, strong Bora wind gusts with speeds of 100 to 120 kilometres per hour were and are being measured; even higher wind speeds are expected during the course of the day.
Hrt.hr quoted Goran Grubišić, head of the Krk city fire brigade, in a report dated 31 March. Grubišić stated that he received the report about the fire yesterday at 10:34 am. He then sent out the standby shift and alerted the local Njivice fire brigade; he was “on site with three vehicles and seven firefighters”.
According to hrt.hr, part of the fire spread to the surrounding trees but was able to be extinguished by the quick intervention of the firefighters. After the operation, there was “(no longer) any danger to the houses”; the situation was “under control”. One boat caused “problems” because it could not be boarded; the wind also drove it “in an undesirable direction”, Grubišić said.
