Montenegro call for help to tackle wildfires as tourists forced to evacuate

Fuelled by strong winds and dry weather, the fire on the Lustica peninsula in southern Montenegro has spread close to homes and camping zones.

"Our forces are not enough to put out a fire of such proportion," said Stevan Katic, the head of Herceg Novi municipality.

State TV reported that the interior ministry asked for international help through the European Union disaster relief system. The navy also stepped in to help evacuate the area by sea, officials said.

Emergency services said strong winds are hampering firefighters' efforts to save the houses.

"The fire has spread over the road, an entire hill is burning," emergency official Maksim Mandic told Montenegrin TV. "It is impossible to put out the fire completely in such winds."

Further north in Croatia, firefighters have also been battling a number of fires along the Adriatic coast.

Several hundred acres of pine forests and low shrubbery have been burnt, with the winds sending the blaze spreading in several directions.

Fires around Srinjine, near the coastal town of Split, forced tourists to leave the area, which was left without electricity or water, Croatian TV said.

Several houses and offices were destroyed, as well as the local school, part of the cemetery and the surrounding olive groves.

A man has died in a nearby village but it was not clear whether his death was directly related to the fire, state TV said.

Firefighting planes took off on Monday afternoon after previously being grounded due to winds and turbulence.

Around the town of Zadar, planes were also used because some areas remain mined from the war of the 1990s, it added.

AP

Earlier: At least 100 tourists have been forced to evacuate from a coastal area in Montenegro that is being threatened by wildfires raging across the Balkans.

Fuelled by strong winds and dry weather, the fire on the Lustica peninsula has spread close to homes and camping zones.

Authorities said the navy has stepped in to help evacuate the area by sea.

Emergency services said strong winds are "hampering" firefighters' efforts to save the houses.

Further north in Croatia, firefighters have also been battling a number of fires along the Adriatic coast.

Authorities said several hundred acres of pine forests and low shrubbery have been burnt but that there is no threat to people's homes currently.

Fires around Srinjene, near the coastal town of Split, forced tourists to leave the area, which was left without electricity or water, Croatian TV said.

Firefighting planes could not fly there due to the winds and turbulence, and a local road was closed.

Around the town of Zadar, planes were used because some areas remain mined from the war of the 1990s, state TV report said.

AP