Croatian police have arrested four people suspected of causing some of the major fires that swept through the Adriatic coast last week.
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The prolonged heatwave and drought helped fuel the spread of dozens of fires that began appearing on Thursday in various parts of Croatia’s coastline. The most serious situation was recorded in the south, near the town of Omis, where one person died and around 40 others were injured. Of those injured, eight have been hospitalised and are in serious condition.
Authorities are still working to identify the body found in an area engulfed by flames, while a 34-year-old Bosnian national remains missing, police told AFP.
The suspects, who were detained on Saturday, are involved in a “criminal investigation” on suspicion of having “started fires in the Zadar area”. Zadar is a city on Croatia’s central Adriatic coast and is home to a major port.
The four suspects were arrested several dozen kilometres from Zadar after residents alerted authorities to their “suspicious behaviour”, police said.
In the Zadar area, fires burned pine and olive groves on Friday and Saturday.
Croatia’s criminal legislation provides for prison sentences ranging from six months to five years for arson, whether caused by negligence or committed deliberately, when it endangers people’s lives or property.
Meanwhile, authorities are also investigating whether the fire that caused extensive damage from Thursday night into Friday, particularly in populated areas of the Omis region, was the result of deliberate arson.
The flames, intensified by strong winds, rapidly swept across kilometres of coastline. Dozens of homes, vehicles, restaurants and cafes were completely destroyed.
Faced with the danger, thousands of residents and tourists were evacuated. In some areas, the fire reached the beaches, forcing many people to enter the sea to escape. Coast guard vessels were also deployed in rescue operations.
Eight people with severe burns, including a 17-year-old girl, continue to receive treatment in hospitals in Split and Zagreb.
