Millions in damage

Devastating fire in Croatian marina

Numerous boats were on fire.(Bild: APA/AP)

A devastating fire in a Croatian marina has destroyed at least 22 anchored boats. Eyewitnesses reported explosions in the port of Medulin. No one was injured. The damage is likely to amount to millions of euros.

Residents and visitors to the vacation resort in Istria were woken up shortly before 4 a.m. by several explosions. Shortly afterwards, they saw several boats in flames. The fire spread extremely quickly due to the strong wind. "I was woken up this morning by an explosion. (...) Not even a few minutes later I heard another explosion, but of lesser intensity," reported a local resident on his Facebook page.

Some yachts could be saved
The emergency services were alerted immediately and initially rescued unaffected yachts and smaller boats before starting to extinguish the fire. This was completed at around 7 a.m. The risk of fire to nearby buildings was also averted.

The cause of the fire is still unclear, but investigations have already been initiated. The damage caused is likely to amount to millions of euros. Oil booms were set up due to the spillage of operating fluids.