Firefighters continue to battle Korčula wildfire

The large wildfire between Blato and Smokvica on the island of Korčula remains active, with more than 200 firefighters still working on the ground.

Some rain fell in the area Monday morning, helping firefighting efforts, but unstable weather conditions kept firefighting aircraft grounded until around 10 a.m.

Firefighters managed to stop the spread of the blaze overnight, and officials say the situation is currently stable.

"We are working to put out the edges of the fire. We are trying to get as close as we can with the hoses. The terrain is rough, but we are making progress. Two Canadair firefighting planes have been assisting, and another has arrived to help contain the edges so the fire doesn't spread any further," said Dubrovnik-Neretva County Fire Chief Stjepan Simović.

Two firefighters suffered minor injuries.

The main road between Vela Luka and Korčula has reopened, although drivers are advised to use it only if necessary.

The fire has grown significantly in size, according to Ljubo Kunašić, head of Smokvica Municipality.

"The area engulfed by the fire is very large. We're now talking about 1,000 hectares. We're not close to being done yet," he said.

Three other wildfires broke out in Dubrovnik-Neretva County over the past 24 hours, including one on the island of Lastovo. All of those fires have since been extinguished.

Two wildfires also broke out yesterday in the wider Šibenik area.

A blaze near Vodice was extinguished at around 7 p.m., while firefighters battled another fire near the village of Grebaštica that had been burning since Saturday afternoon. Around 70 firefighters, supported by two aircraft, worked to contain the blaze, which was extinguished by around noon.

A fire in Sali on the island of Dugi Otok has also been extinguished, while another blaze in Telašćica Nature Park has been contained.

In total, around 1,000 firefighters responded to approximately 145 wildfire-related incidents over the past 24 hours.