Croatia marks 19th anniversary of Kornati firefighting tragedy

It has been 19 years since Croatia’s worst firefighting disaster, known as the Kornati tragedy.

On August 30, 2007, 12 firefighters from Šibenik, Vodice and Tisno died in a brush fire on the island of Kornat during what had appeared to be a routine firefighting operation.

Today, their families, friends and fellow firefighters traveled to the Kornati Islands to honor the fallen, laying wreaths and lighting candles in their memory.

“Beneath this cross are the words Ave Crux, Spes Unica, meaning ‘Hail the Cross, Our Only Hope.’ That’s what helps me carry on,” said Ivica Strikoman, the father of one of the firefighters.

Nearly two decades later, it is still unclear exactly why the firefighters died. Only one firefighter survived the blaze, and several theories have been proposed, ranging from an eruptive fire to the combustion of an inhomogeneous gas mixture. However, lessons have been learned to help prevent a similar tragedy from happening again.

“I feel empty inside, with nothing more to say. It’s been 19 years, and we still don’t know the truth,” said Arijana Puček, the granddaughter and niece of two of the firefighters.

“When someone says Kornati, I always think of the firefighters—my colleagues—who perished here, rather than the beauty of these islands. Unfortunately, 19 years ago, we witnessed the tragic deaths of our colleagues. Every year, we honor their memory. It is a sad day for Croatian firefighters and for everyone,” said national fire chief Slavko Tucaković.

In memory of the Kornati firefighters, fire department sirens sounded across the country for one minute at 3:25 p.m., while fire trucks activated their lights and sirens, as they do every year on this day to honor their fallen colleagues.