ZAGREB, 4 August, 2022 - The number of outdoor space fires in the first seven months of 2022 was 46% higher than in the same period of 2021 while the number of wildfires was up by 70%, the Croatian Firefighters Association said on Thursday.
The area consumed by fires in the first seven months of 2021 was 16,153 hectares while in 2022, 51,962 hectares of land have already been consumed by fires, an increase of as much as 221%. Last year, 8,833 fires were reported while this year there have been 11,323 fires so far, an increase of almost 30%.
The number of persons injured or killed in fires has increased this year compared to 2021 - last year there were 16 fatalities and this year there have been 25 fire victims, including a fireman.
The number of persons injured in fires has grown by 42%, from 77 in 2021 to as many as 110 this year.
Last year 15 firefighters were injured while putting out fires, while this year 10 were injured in the first seven months.
The number of times firefighting planes were used to help firefighters in the first seven months of this year was 30% higher than last year and this year Croatian firefighting forces have also helped out their colleagues in Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This year increases have been reported in all categories except indoor fires, the Croatian Firefighting Association said, calling on citizens to act responsibly as the current period of very high temperatures without precipitation is continuing and the fire risk index is very high.
