There have been several serious forest fires already in Dalmatia this summer, and it was perhaps only a matter of time until one happened on Hvar.
Sitting on my Jelsa terrace last night admiring the view and the blue sky just after 20:00, smoke started appearing over the hillside above Pitve. A call to the fire brigade to check if they were already aware was met with thanks - they were already battling the blaze.
Some 50 firefighters managed to successfully put out the blaze, with the initial focus on saving some houses which had been threatened.
Many thanks to all firefighters for the heroic work you do, and a reminder once again to be careful and vigilant. It just takes one careless moment to start a major fire, as one local did a few years ago, destroying 50,000 m2 of forest when an innocent barbecue got out of control.
