Omis wildfire: fourth victim dies in Zagreb hospital
A woman injured in the August 13 fire has died at a Zagreb clinic. Earlier victims include Dragana Antesevic of Kotor Varos.
The death toll from the wildfire that swept the Omis area of Dalmatia on August 13 has risen to four. A woman treated for severe burns at the Traumatology Clinic of the Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Centre in Zagreb has died. The news hits close to home for readers in Serbia and Republika Srpska, because the first person to die in the fire was Dragana Antesevic of Kotor Varos, who had been working in Omis during the tourist season.
What is known about the fourth victim?
The woman’s name has not been released. Sources differ on her age: the Zagreb portal Index.hr says she was 41, while Srna, in a report carried by RTRS, says she was 42. According to Index.hr, the hospital said the patient died despite intensive treatment, and the clinic’s medical team offered condolences to her family.
Two other patients injured in the fire are still being treated at the same clinic. The younger one is recovering and has been moved out of the intensive care unit. The older one remains in intensive care in stable condition, breathing without assistance and needing no medication to support blood pressure.
Who were the earlier victims?
Dragana Antesevic was 34. As the fire spread, she was with two other women. After they left their car, she went missing. Her body was found in Mala Luka, in the Stanici area, and her identity was confirmed by autopsy and DNA analysis. One of the women with her was seriously injured.
The second victim was Drago Lelas, a retired firefighter, who died of severe injuries on August 28 in a Split hospital. According to Index.hr, he held leadership posts in the Omis volunteer fire brigade for years, was a frequent volunteer blood donor and received the City of Omis Lifetime Achievement Award.
The third victim was Katica Nikolic (58), who died in a Split hospital after a weeks-long fight for her life. Index.hr reports that she was connected to Dragana Antesevic and worked in the same area.
How did the fire unfold?
The fire broke out around 8 p.m. on August 13 in a wooded area beside a road near Lokva Rogoznica. A strong wind drove it through Stanici toward Nemira, Brzet, Borak and Omis itself, across a strip about 23 kilometers long and about a kilometer and a half wide. In just a few hours, around 1,000 hectares burned, threatening houses, cars, hospitality and outbuildings and farmland. Some residents and tourists had to be evacuated.
In all, 38 people were injured, and ten were hospitalized with serious conditions.
Where does the investigation stand?
The cause of the fire has not been determined. The County State Attorney’s Office in Split, police and fire safety inspectors examined the site where the fire started. Physical evidence was collected, and surveillance camera footage from the burned area has been ordered. The investigation into the cause continues after the fourth death.
