Croatian Air Force firefighting units were deployed throughout Thursday to several major wildfire sites across Dalmatia, while the Croatian Armed Forces also took part in civilian evacuation operations. According to a press release issued by the Croatian Ministry of Defence, aerial firefighting forces were active in the areas of Omiš, the Pelješac peninsula, Trolokve and Zadar County.

The largest deployment took place at the Omiš – Lokva Rogoznica wildfire, where four Canadair CL-415s and three Air Tractor AT-802s were engaged. Four Canadairs were deployed to the fire near Kuna Pelješka on the Pelješac peninsula, while one Canadair CL-415 and one Air Tractor AT-802 operated at the Trolokve – Prgomet fire.

In the area of Ninski Stanovi and Zaton in Zadar County, the fire was fought by two Canadairs and one Air Tractor.

In addition to firefighting aircraft, the Croatian Armed Forces were also involved in other wildfire-related missions. The Croatian Coast Guard deployed the patrol boat GB 203 Modrulj to assist in the evacuation of civilians in the Lokva Rogoznica area near Omiš. A Croatian Air Force Mi-171Sh helicopter was also used during the day to transport a Canadair crew on the Zemunik – Brač – Zemunik route.

Colonel Milan Došen, commander of the 855th Firefighting Squadron, described August 14 as an exceptionally demanding day for the crews. At Lokva Rogoznica, firefighting operations were complicated by strong winds, smoke and difficult terrain, meaning that every sortie had to be carefully planned and coordinated with firefighters on the ground.

After operating near Omiš, some of the forces were redirected to Pelješac, where crews again encountered extremely challenging conditions. Due to exceptionally dry weather and strong winds, the fire spread rapidly and, according to Došen, developed into a fire front several kilometres long within a short period.

“For us, the most important thing is to make every sortie as effective as possible and to drop the water exactly where it is most needed at that moment. When fires are this large and spread this quickly, cooperation between all crews in the air and firefighters on the ground is crucial,” Došen said.

He added that fatigue was taking its toll on the crews, but knowing that their work directly contributed to protecting people and their homes provided additional motivation to continue the demanding operations.

According to the Ministry of Defence, from the beginning of the second phase of the firefighting season until 08:00 on August 14, 2026, the aerial units of the Croatian Armed Forces’ designated firefighting forces participated in fighting 73 wildfires.

During 2026, a total of 222 requests from the Croatian Firefighting Association for aerial firefighting and reconnaissance missions were received and carried out. These missions involved 4,475 flights and 756 flight hours, with a total of 21,076 tonnes of water dropped. Aircraft also transported 48 people and four tonnes of cargo.

Firefighting aircraft also carried out 58 reconnaissance missions over Croatia’s coastal counties. As part of these missions, 3,964 flights and 677 hours and 15 minutes of flight time were recorded, with 18,851 tonnes of water dropped.

The unmanned aerial systems team was deployed seven times during the season, logging a total of 22 hours and 26 minutes of flight time.

The Croatian Air Force said its firefighting crews remain at a high level of readiness so that aircraft can be rapidly redirected between wildfire sites as required. Alongside the flight crews, aviation maintenance personnel remain continuously engaged in ensuring aircraft availability for new requests and the continuation of intensive firefighting operations.