October the 16th, 2026 – A hero from a small coastal settlement near Omiš who saved 60 people from a massive fire has received a well-deserved bravery award.
Milan Balić, a young man from Stanići near Omiš, selflessly saved around 60 people with two boats when the fire broke out back in August. He has since received the Croatian Grand Security Award for bravery. Index reports that the ceremony in Opatija he modestly said that he simply found himself at the scene of the fire and emphasised that many other people also took part in the rescue. The recognition was presented to him as part of the 20th Conference of Croatian Security Managers at the Hotel Ambasador in Opatija.
The Croatian Association of Security Managers (HUMS) otherwise awarded prizes in 14 categories, and among the winners are also the City of Split, the State Hydro-meteorological Institute, APIS IT, the City of Zagreb and RTL Danas.
“it was sheer horror”
“What can I tell you, is that it was sheer horror. It was pure horror. Everything started from the upper side of the road and we hoped it wouldn’t cross to the lower side. But the fire passed across. People were running towards the sea, which was the most logical thing to do in that situation,” Balić said at the time.
“My house is among the first by the shoreline and I tried to save it as much as I could. Luckily, nothing happened to it. People were coming down to the beach, everyone was. Older people, young people, children. I decided then and there during the fire to take my boat and try to help them” he added. He set off on the rescue with two vessels. He tied the smaller boat to the larger one and loaded a total of 60 people onto them, among them children, elderly and injured persons. “I put the older men in the small boat, and the women, children and elderly people in the large one. There was really great panic,” Balić said.
“people were screaming from the beach”
The journey to Omiš was extremely dangerous. A strong bora was blowing, and because of the dense smoke visibility was almost non-existent. During the voyage Balić was especially afraid for the people in the smaller boat he was towing. “After we boarded, people were still shouting from the beach. I would have liked to help everyone, but there simply wasn’t any more space. While we were towing the smaller boat, I was most afraid that it wouldn’t sink, because there were also injured people in it,” he said. The drama did not end even upon arrival in Omiš. When docking in the town harbour the smaller boat capsized and people ended up in the sea.
“Everyone fell into the sea. Luckily, the army and special police were there and helped us pull them all out,” Balić said. For the bravery shown during that action he has now received the Croatian Grand Security Award in the category Brave Act in the Service of Security. At the award presentation, he modestly thanked all those gathered for the recognition, stressing that at the moment of the fire he simply found himself at that place. He emphasised that credit for the rescue also belongs to numerous other colleagues who took part in the action.
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