Croatia wild fire nears Dubrovnik

Croatia wild fire nears Dubrovnik

6 August 2007

published by www.cnn.com


Dubrovnik, Croatia — Firefighters battled frantically overnight to subdue ablaze Monday that had threatened the ancient city of Dubrovnik.

Dubrovnik is amedieval town that attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists each summer

A medieval town that attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists each summer, Dubrovnik was surrounded by fire on Sunday, flames which swiftly spread through woods due to strong winds. The line of fire above the old city was about 13 miles long at one point.

City authorities had prepared shelters in an ancient fortress and a sports hall in case the fire spread to the city, prompting its evacuation — moves reminiscent of the 1991 Serbo-Croat war, when the city was bombarded by Serb rebels.

About 1,000 firefighters backed by two Canadair planes brought the fire under control Monday morning as winds eased, said Dubravko Kranjac, head of local firefighters.

Only one abandoned house in a Dubrovnik suburb was burned down. There was no evacuation of the city. Tourists were not affected by the fires because most hotels are on the coast.

Dubrovnik, founded in the 7th century, has been on UNESCO’s list of protectedworld cultural heritage sites since the 1960s


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