Croatia Marks 18 years since Kornati Tragedy

Croatia today commemorates the 18th anniversary of the Kornati tragedy, in which 12 firefighters lost their lives on August 30, 2007.

A team of 23 firefighters from Vodice, Tisno, and Šibenik had been dispatched to battle a fast-moving brush fire on the island of Kornat, a small and largely uninhabited island that is part of the Kornati archipelago. Under circumstances that remain unclear, 12 firefighters died and several others suffered severe burns.

Families of the victims, colleagues, and members of the firefighting community from across the country gathered at a memorial on the island on Saturday to honor the men, most of whom were in their twenties. Two of the victims were under 18.

To this day, families remain unconvinced by the official account of what happened and doubt they will ever learn why help took so long to reach the severely injured firefighters. Experts have attributed the tragedy to an eruptive fire or flashover—a sudden and extreme increase in fire intensity, caused by feedback between the blaze and its environment. Investigations also concluded that mistakes were made. The only person ever tried in connection with the case, then–county fire chief Dražen Slavica, was acquitted. Many families continue to believe the full truth has been covered up.

"We'll never find out. I doubt we’ll ever know who was at fault. It’s all obfuscation and camouflage,” said Ivica Strikoman, whose son Hrvoje died in the fire.

"We can’t change what happened. The truth is still out there. The only thing we can do is pay our respects every year,” said one of the firefighters at today’s commemoration.

Croatia’s top fire official, Slavko Tucaković, said the tragedy led to significant reforms in the firefighting system.

"All of this had an effect on hiring standards and procedures. A lot has changed, including how we equip firefighters and their vehicles,” said Tucaković.

At 3:26 p.m. today, sirens across the country sounded in memory of the fallen firefighters. The Kornat fire remains the deadliest firefighting accident in Croatian history.