Croatia records more fires, casualties this year

Zagreb, Sep 3 (IANS) Croatia reported altogether 12,855 fires in the first eight months this year, averaging 53 fires a day, according to the country's firefighting association.This is a sharp rise from the 10,431 fires reported for the same period last year, the association said in an announcement on Friday.Fire disasters have killed 26 people in Croatia this year, including a firefighter, whereas the number of fire-related deaths totaled 19 in the same period of last year, the document said.Meanwhile, Croatia registered 132 fire-related injuries, up from 97 in the same period of last year, Xinhua news agency reported.About 56,000 hectare of land have been destroyed by flames so far this year, a surge of 160 per cent from the same period of last year, the document added.Heat waves and severe droughts have been blamed for the frequent fires across Croatia this year.
--IANS int/khz/

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