Dozens injured and thousands evacuated in Croatia wildfire
Officials say the blaze, near the port town of Omis, is one of the worst in Croatia's history.
A devastating wildfire ripped through Croatian coastal cities on Thursday night and Friday morning, resulting in at least one fatality and approximately 40 injuries.
The inferno ignited near Lokva Rogoznica village on Thursday evening and rapidly advanced towards the nearby tourist hub of Omis, located 6 kilometers (7 miles) away.
Around 1,200 residents and tourists were evacuated, with 10 individuals receiving intensive care in hospitals, according to the prime minister. Croatia's fire chief, Slavko Tucakovic, characterized the blaze as "one of the worst" in the nation's history.
Croatia is among several European countries grappling with destructive wildfires following a summer marked by extreme heat and arid conditions.
Villages near the Adriatic city of Split were impacted by the fire, which swept through pine forest-covered hillsides, causing extensive damage to homes and vehicles.
Tucakovic stated that the firestorm consumed "everything in their path," as officials confirmed that strong winds propelled the flames, engulfing 1,000 hectares in just four hours.
Over 300 firefighters were deployed overnight on Thursday, with crews occasionally forced to retreat as the fire intensified.
Online footage depicted thick smoke and massive flames tearing through vegetation, casting a red glow across the sky, as stranded residents and tourists observed.
Some individuals were compelled to leap from boats into the sea to escape the fire.
Emergency shelters were established in several coastal towns as evacuations persisted throughout the night.
On Friday, officials confirmed the discovery of a body in a burnt-out area as emergency services continued their search of affected zones.
Later on Friday, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic visited the impacted region, commending the efforts of emergency crews.
He informed reporters that the fire spread with "lightning speed" and "gale-force winds," adding that what firefighters managed to save was "truly a miracle."
Viseslav Pesic, Commander of the Omis Volunteer Fire Department, told Reuters that the blaze was so intense that people abandoned vehicles "directly in the fire zone," impeding the passage of emergency crews.
Firefighters across Europe are facing immense pressure and strained resources as severe wildfires continue to rage across the continent, fueled by extreme heatwaves.
In Agios Vasileios, Greece, over 200 people were evacuated by boat from a beach resort after wildfires swept across the country. Meanwhile, more than 500 residents were forced to leave their homes due to a fire in the southwestern Landes region, near an area already devastated by wildfires.
Over 2,000 people were also evacuated from the village of Gey in western Germany after a forest fire spread towards a village near the Belgian border.
Concurrently, an emergency wildfire alert was issued to millions in England and Wales on Friday, warning of a "very high risk" of wildfires nationally, as firefighters continue to combat multiple blazes in the West Midlands.