Massive fire on the island of Brač, Croatia — among some 700 evacuees, two families from Cetinje

The massive fire that has engulfed the Croatian island of Brač has been fought for days and is still not under control. The strong bora wind has rekindled the fire and directed the flames toward the settlement of Milna, seriously endangering homes and residents’ lives.

The situation became so dangerous that around 700 people were evacuated from the threatened areas. With land routes blocked by the flames, the only safe escape route was the sea — naval vessels were engaged to transport residents to safe places.

Among the evacuees were also two families from Cetinje, Montenegro. Vuk Latkoviq from Cetinje, in a statement to the Television of Montenegro (TVCG) daily news, described the dramatic moments of that night: “We had gone to sleep, I went out to see what was happening and saw that the fire was close. We were nine people. We headed toward the sea. There we put the children on a mattress, swam toward the ship and spent the night in some hotel.”

The next day, the two families returned to the tourist complex where they were accommodated and there found 330 people. Cars and personal belongings were saved, but the villas and accommodation were completely burned by the fire.

Meanwhile firefighters, in the final moments, managed to save houses and people. The commander of DVD Supetar, Nikola Martinić Dragan, said that under those conditions the best tactic was to leave people inside well-sealed facilities and protect the facility along with them. Resident Frane Serdar estimated that around 20 houses would have been destroyed had the firefighters arrived half an hour later. The two families from Cetinje also emphasized the great support they received from the Montenegrin embassy in Croatia throughout the evacuation.

Source: RTCG