Featured image: Smoke from Bosnia wildfires hangs over Dubrovnik illustration/CU
Bosnia wildfires continue to affect air quality along parts of the Croatian coast, several days after smoke and ash were carried across the border by strong northerly winds.
Official measurements published by Croatia’s Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition showed poor air quality at two monitoring stations at 7 am on September 8. At Split-2, PM10 concentrations stood at 40.35 µg/m³ and PM2.5 at 26.15 µg/m³. The station near Dubrovnik Airport recorded PM10 levels of 52 µg/m³ and PM2.5 of 39.92 µg/m³.
Conditions differed between locations. Air quality was classified as moderate at Split-3 and at the Dubrovnik city station, where PM10 concentrations reached 46.14 and 30.97 µg/m³ respectively. Klix.ba reports that particle concentrations remain elevated partly because the air quality index reflects a 24-hour average, even as conditions gradually improve in some areas.
Public health authorities have advised children, pregnant women, older people and those with chronic health conditions to limit strenuous outdoor activity while particle concentrations remain elevated.
Bosnia wildfires cover 14,000 hectares
The main source of smoke over Split, Šibenik and the central Dalmatian islands has been identified as the large wildfire that spread from Zvirnjača near Kupres towards Tomislavgrad and Prozor-Rama. A separate fire across Popovo Polje has also carried smoke and the smell of burning towards the Dubrovnik area.
According to HRT, the fire between Tomislavgrad and Prozor-Rama has affected approximately 14,000 hectares and stretches across an area more than 20 kilometres long. Parts of the fire have been brought under control, but the situation remains particularly concerning towards Mount Vran, where flames could spread into forested areas.
Tomislavgrad Mayor Ivan Buntić said the fire line towards Vran was more than 15 kilometres long at one point.
“Today, at one point, the fire line towards Mount Vran was more than 15 kilometres long, extending down towards the villages of Lipa and Mandino Selo. It has been contained within the roads and localised,” Buntić said.
Croatian Canadairs continue helping firefighters
Two Croatian Canadairs have supported crews at several locations between Kupres, Prozor-Rama and Tomislavgrad. Their intervention helped stop the fire from spreading towards settlements in the Prozor-Rama area, although the wider fire has not yet been fully extinguished.
“The Canadairs are currently fighting the fire here towards the Rama area, so I hope we will manage to extinguish it by tomorrow,” Buntić told HRT.
Klix.ba reports that the fire no longer poses a direct threat to inhabited areas around Prozor-Rama. Although parts of the fire have been localised, the Bosnia wildfires are still being monitored as crews work to prevent further spread towards Mount Vran.
