May 30, 2021 - The Marina Kastela yacht fire on Saturday night destroyed 5 yachts and damaged 18. Fortunately, no one was hurt. 

An unprecedented fire broke out last night at around 8:30 pm on one of the anchored yachts in Marina Kastela. Five luxury boats about 20 meters long were completely burned. The damage will be in the millions of euros, reports Slobodna Dalmacija.

In an instant, a fire raged on a yacht for reasons not yet determined. Crew members immediately tried to put out the fire, but unfortunately, without success.

After the ropes burned on the fire-affected yacht, the ship began to float around other anchored yachts worth millions, and it didn't take long for the flames to engulf the other ships. The fire brigade immediately was at the scene and started fighting the flames, which left behind black clouds of thick smoke, making it difficult to see Split from Kastela.

"This is terrible; I've never seen a fire like this before. At that moment, that yacht was all on fire and, unfortunately, it ended in flames. People were scattering in all directions; believe me, it looked like a state of war. People were screaming, jumping for help, and suddenly it erupted even larger. That burning ship suddenly moved away from where it was moored, and the flames immediately engulfed the other yachts. Plastic was burning, probably also oil derivatives that were in them, so it is not surprising that there was so much black smoke," said one shocked local near Marina Kastela.

DVD Kastel Gomilica also arrived in Marina Kastela. The owner of Marina Kastela, Joško Berket, exclusively told Slobodna Dalmacija about the incident and how grateful he was that no one was injured. 

"I can confirm to you that five yachts burned and that the material damage was extremely great. The fire broke out on one of the yachts destroyed by the fire and the cause, although not yet confirmed, is definitely a human factor. So it's not about installation and the like. A fire broke out in the yacht at one point, and the crew onboard went to put out the fire on their own. Their ropes burned in flames in the middle of the fire, and the ship began to float towards other anchored yachts.

The flames immediately engulfed another yacht and then three more. All firefighters are on the ground and the employees of Marina Kastela, and fortunately, the wind was not blowing at the time of the fire. The situation would be much worse, and it is still catastrophic. The fire was localized around 9:40 pm. The ships in flames were pulled out and towed from Marina Kastela to Kastela Bay," Marina Kastela owner Joško Berket said exclusively for Slobodna.

Last night, the mayor of Kastela, Denis Ivanović, immediately came to the scene and said that the situation was awful. Still, thanks to the composure of people and firefighters, the situation slowly calmed down at around 9:30 pm.

"The most important thing is that people are alive and healthy," Ivanović said briefly.

Crews and tourists were evacuated from the ships at around 9:15 pm, and the authorities in the Marina tried to provide them with temporary accommodation.

A big problem in organizing the evacuation was created by many Kastela residents and curious people who came to see what was happening, regardless of the possible danger.

Marina Kastela was full yesterday because, as a rule, there is a shift of guests on Saturdays. Some leave, and others come.

As Berket confirmed to Slobodna, three of the five boats were pulled from Marina Kastela into the bay, where two completely burned and sank to the seabed, one was towed to a nearby beach, and two burned on a pontoon in the Marina.

"All boats are fully insured, there was no major damage in Marina Kastela, and the police are now doing their job to determine the circumstances and cause of the fire," said Berket, who unofficially told Slobodna that the fire started from the kitchen of the destroyed yacht.

When asked if this incident will affect the Small Shipbuilding Days, which starts next week in Marina Kastela, Berket said that it would not because the event is being held in a completely different part of Marina Kastela.

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