On Saturday, until 1:30 p.m., the Omiš City Hall Ribnjak welcomed a total of 80 people, mostly foreigners, including about 20 children and several dogs, who were evacuated from Marušić, Mimice, Pisak and other places due to the catastrophic fire.
Among them are several lightly injured, and the commander of one fire department suffered burns to half of his face, for which he was sent to the Plastic Surgery Department at the Split Clinical Hospital.
Omiš Emergency Medical Services doctor Brankica Božinović says that they have been at the reception center since 10 am, and throughout the day, Red Cross and Civil Protection teams have been bringing them people they picked up from the beach.
"We already have several injured people, heart patients, asthmatics. There are quite a few minor burns on the body, foreign bodies in the eye, usually dust particles and flames from the fire, and open injuries that occurred when running to the beach. We will remain there until further notice," said Božinović.
In conversations with people, it is learned that a large number of them fled from Marušići and Mimice. They saw the fire in the morning after waking up, took the most basic things and fled to the beach, from where they were transferred by boat to the shelter in Omiš.
Everyone praises the emergency services, which are excellently organized because new people arriving are recorded chronologically all the time. They were welcomed at the shelter with cold drinks, fruit, and water, and soon they and the firefighters will receive lunch, which will be donated by restaurants in Omis.
Damir Peričić Jelovac from the Omiš Red Cross says that 150 people are expected at the town hall in Ribnjak, and the number of those arriving at the shelter by sea and road is constantly changing.
Filip Krnić, who was in Marušići at the time of the fire, suffered injuries to his hands. He noticed the fire at seven o'clock and informed his wife about it.
In a panic, he forgot his hearing aid and teeth.
He says there was a big fire and smoke to the east, and then flames quickly appeared on the other side. He and his wife were surrounded by fire, and then, together with neighbors, they got into kayaks and paddled to the police boat.
"I was the last one left on the kayak when it capsized, so I fell and got injured. They treated my wounds on the boat. I'm sorry, but in my panic I didn't bring my hearing aid and teeth. But I'm alive," Krnić said.
While adults pass the hours in front of the outdoor hall and recount unpleasant events, the young people have already found their way and played basketball in the hall.
There are also four Polish women there with five children and a dog. They tell us that their husbands stayed in Mimice to help the owner defend the house, and other men did the same because the shelter is mostly occupied by children and women.
The director of the Omiš Red Cross, Ana Stejska, says that the decision to turn the hall into a shelter was made by Omiš Mayor Zvonko Močić.
She discovered that among the people in the shelter there were small children who had been brought diapers. "Transportation of people is done by the Red Cross and the Port Authority by sea," she added.
Andrej Kovač from the Split City Red Cross Society points out that, in addition to bringing people from the port to the shelter, they have also provided beds for rest, which have been set up in the hall.
"All people are listed, and if any of them leave, we have to state the location where they went so that we can have feedback for the family, should they be interested in them," added Kovač.
Photo: HINA/Žaklina Jurić
