As of Tuesday evening firefighters were still fighting to contain two wildfires which broke earlier in the day near the coastal town of Vodice, by the road running along the Adriatic coastline. Two separate fires reportedly merged into one, swallowing up swathes of vegetation but not threatening local residential buildings.

Most of the firefighting units operating in Sibenik-Knin County were dispatched to the scene, with more than 100 firefighters currently on the ground, state agency Hina said, citing unnamed officials of the national firefighters’ association.

Another wildfire is active in the county, near the city of Sibenik, but that one has been contained as of Tuesday evening. Firefighters putting out fires in the Sibenik area were assisted by seven firefighting planes.

The commander of the Sibenik Public Firefighting Unit, Volimir Milosevic, told Nova TV said that due to the windy weather and the wind changing direction local roads had to be closed to traffic. He said that between 350 and 400 hectares of vegetation had been consumed and that firefighters would remain on the ground during the night.

Chief firefighting commander, Slavko Tucakovic, told state television HRT that firefighters were on the ground the whole afternoon and that the situation was currently “much better.” Local roads have in the meantime been reopened to traffic.