Overview
- The fires that swept the coastal strip between Lokva Rogoznica and Omiš on Friday burned an estimated 900–1,000 hectares and reached the edges of towns, destroying homes and vehicles.
- Authorities confirmed at least one death and dozens injured with 14 hospitalised and several in critical condition, and more than 2,000 residents and tourists were evacuated to sports halls and other shelters.
- Nearly 300 firefighters with about 93 vehicles and multiple aircraft, including foreign aerial support, battled the blazes overnight and reported no large open flames by Friday morning but warned of persistent hotspots and flare-ups.
- Strong, gusting winds and prolonged drought repeatedly fanned the flames and limited aerial operations, prompting travel warnings from foreign offices and a ban on drones near active firefighting zones.
- The Croatian fires are part of a wider regional wave of Mediterranean wildfires that forced sea evacuations of roughly 481 people in Greece’s Chalkidiki and have strained firefighting resources across neighbouring areas.