Croatian defense minister resigns following forest fire

Croatian Minister of Defense Damir Krsticevic has resigned due to inefficient response to forest fires at the Adriatic coast, daily newspaper "Jutarnji list" reported on Tuesday.

Krsticevic resigned hours after Croatian President and commander-in-chief of the Army Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic criticized the army for not intervening sooner and helping firefighters in the second-largest city Split.

Kitarovic on Tuesday said that the minister's resignation was unacceptable. She acknowledged he was not directly responsible for what had happened.

"The army cannot intervene itself but must be called. In this situation, accountable are those who misjudged the situation on the field and called for help too late," she said.

The Croatian government and Ministry of Defense has not yet officially confirmed Krsticevic's resignation.

A fire of unknown cause started Sunday night and ravaged the area near Croatia's Adriatic coast in Dalmatia region due to strong winds. It was brought under control on Tuesday, according to the government.