On Sunday, 30 August, the anniversary of one of the most tragic accidents in the history of Croatian firefighting is being observed across Croatia. Exactly 17 years after the incident on the Kornati islands, fire brigades throughout the country are paying tribute to 12 colleagues who lost their lives while fighting a fire. The accident occurred on 30 August 2007, and the firefighters who perished came from Šibenik, Vodice and Tisno.
The sole survivor of that tragic shift was Frane Lučić, who was 23 years old at the time. A total of 12 firefighters died, including Dino Klarić, Ivica Crvelin, Ivan Marinović, Marko Stančić, Gabrijel Skočić, Hrvoje Strikoman, Tomislav Crvelin, Ante Crvelin, Josip Lučić, Karlo Ševerdija, Marinko Knežević and Ante Juričev Mikulin. The youngest of the deceased was Marko Stančić from Šibenik, born in 1990.
Of the 12 firefighters, six died at the scene. Among them were Gabrijel Skočić (20) from Vodice, Marko Stančić (17) from Šibenik, Hrvoje Strikoman (19) from Vodice, Dino Klarić (33) from Šibenik, Ivan Marinović (33) from Grebaštica and Ivica Crvelin (42) from Tisno. The remaining six firefighters sustained severe, life-threatening injuries and subsequently died in hospitals.
Tomislav Crvelin (23) from Tisno, Josip Lučić (19) from Tisno, Ante Crvelin (23) from Tisno, Ante Juričev Mikulin (22) from Vodice, Karlo Ševerdija (17) from Vodice and Marinko Knežević (52) from Boraja died in hospital wards. The fallen firefighters were members of units from various backgrounds, and their ages at the time of the accident ranged from 17 to 52.
Boris Jović, commander of the Public Fire Brigade Zadar, confirmed that the memorial would be held in a ceremonial manner. The chief fire commander issued an order for the formation of the shift on duty that day. Firefighters across Croatia will assemble in honour of the deceased colleagues, highlighting solidarity within the fire service community.
On Sunday, 30 August, the central part of the commemoration will begin at 15:25. At that time, sirens on fire engines across the country will be sounded. Simultaneously with the siren alert, candles will be lit as a symbol of remembrance, and the names of all the deceased firefighters will be read to preserve their memory in the public consciousness.
