Croatia's chief fire commander and defence minister have decided to end the firefighting season early this year due to weather conditions along the coast, after air forces participated in extinguishing 112 fires this season.

The 2022 fire season was challenging both in terms of the intensity and the number of fires, as there were more fires than in previous seasons, the Defence Ministry said on Monday.

The chief fire commander and the defence minister decided to end the fire season early due to the current situation related to climate change and the weather conditions along the entire coast, namely longer periods with significant rainfall and low risk of fire outbreaks in open areas, the statement read.

The decision came into force on 16 September, ending this season for the Fire Command Centre at Divulje, which started operating on 13 June.