An unprecedented fiery inferno has engulfed parts of the Croatian Adriatic coast, leaving behind destruction, one dead and dozens injured. The disaster, sparked by the extreme fifth wave of heat on the continent and hurricane winds, turned the sky over Dalmatia blood red. By 7:30 a.m. on August 15, the situation in the area of the resort town of Omiš was partially under control, but the authorities continue to fight the smoldering fires and redirect forces to new critical points.
Causes: 40-degree heat and hurricane wind
The fire broke out on the evening of August 13 near the resort village of Lokva Rogoznica and quickly spread towards the northern part of the Makarska Riviera. The main reason for the rapid spread of the fire is the prolonged drought, combined with record temperatures, which in the nearby city of Split reached 39.7°C.
The strong wind, which constantly changed direction, literally carried the flames through the pine forests directly to the settlements. According to local authorities, quoted by world agencies, the fire reached less than 50 meters from the center of the city of Omis.
Scale and evacuation: Rescue by land and sea
The fire front burned between 900 and 1000 hectares of land. Nearly 2000 people, most of whom were foreign tourists, were urgently evacuated. Scenes along the coast were described as complete chaos - dozens of people were forced to jump into the sea from boats to escape the oncoming wall of fire.
In a midnight coordinated operation, the Split Harbour Master's Office rescued 194 people from the water and vessels. Evacuees were accommodated in sports halls and temporary shelters in Omiš, Split and Makarska, provided by the Red Cross. Parts of the strategic Adriatic Highway were completely closed due to the disaster.
Victims, injured and huge damage
The Croatian fire service confirmed that during the clearing of the debris, one charred body. In total 36 people sought medical attention, and 14 were hospitalized at the Split Clinical Hospital. Seven of the injured remain in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, with some being transported to specialized clinics in Zagreb. Foreign citizens, including Hungarian tourists, are among the injured.
The material damage is enormous. Fire Chief Slavko Tucakovic announced that a number of residential buildings, restaurants, dozens of cars and boats on dry land had burned down. Melted car wreckage and puddles of molten metal are visible on the roads around Omiš.
The battle with the fire continues
In the most critical hours, they fought on the ground over 286 firefighters with 93 fire engines, assisted by volunteers from four Croatian counties. As the sun rose, four Canadair firefighting aircraft also joined the operation.
After the fire around Omiš was brought under control on Friday, some of the equipment and aircraft were redirected 70 km south, where a new large-scale fire threatened vineyards and villages on the Pelješac peninsula. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković visited the disaster area and described the work of the rescue teams as a "true miracle".
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria (MFA) calls on Bulgarian citizens in Croatia to exercise increased caution, monitor the road situation and strictly comply with the regulations of local authorities.