Dozens injured, thousands evacuated after Croatian coastal wildfire

On Thursday night a severe wildfire broke out at the small village of Lokva Rogoznica on Croatia’s Adriatic coast. The blaze spread rapidly toward the tourist town of Omiš, about 6 kilometres away, fueled by strong winds.

Over the course of just four hours, the fire consumed approximately 1,000 hectares of pine forest and hillside vegetation. It destroyed homes, cars and many other structures, leaving the area a smoldering ruin.

The blaze caused at least one death and injured around 40 people, with 10 of those wounded in intensive care. Roughly 1,200 residents and tourists were evacuated and emergency shelters were opened along several coastal towns.

Croatian fire chief Slavko Tucakovic called the blaze “one of the worst” it has seen. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic visited the site on Friday, praising the work of emergency crews and highlighting the difficulty posed by gale‑force winds that forced some firefighting teams to retreat.

Footage from the incident shows thick smoke and immense flames, with the sky turning red. Some residents were forced to escape by jumping into the sea from boats. A body was recovered later that day in a burn‑out area as emergency services continued to work to bring the fire under control.

Emergency services and volunteers have been fighting the blaze across the region while the country prepares for further extreme heat and dry conditions that could fuel additional fires.