Croatian blaze forces thousands to flee as wildfires rage across Europe

Huge red flames were seen engulfing the Croatian coastal village of Lokva Rogoznica as a blaze broke out on Thursday evening

At least 2,000 people have been forced to evacuate from the path of massive blaze in Croatia as wildfires continue to burn across Europe amid record-breaking heat.

A total of 157 firefighters and 44 fire engines were deployed to Lokva Rogoznica – a coastal village 23 miles south of Split – after the blaze broke out on Thursday evening.

Video footage shows monstrous red flames engulfing the area. Several homes were destroyed and cars were burnt.

By Friday morning, the blaze had spread toward the city of Omiš and the Borak neighbourhood, forcing at least 2,000 residents and tourists to evacuate. Seven people remained in life-threatening condition early Friday.

“We were evacuated from our home, I’m not expecting much to be left today,” resident Nadalina Aqua Marina said on social media.

Firefighters put out the blaze by Friday morning as other crews in planes headed further south toward the Peljesac peninsula, where another wildfire broke out overnight.

Altogether, 36 people from Omis sought medical care. Fourteen were hospitalised, including the seven with life-threatening injuries.

Witnesses told Croatian broadcaster HRT that people were jumping into the sea after boats also caught fire.

Croatian newspaper, Jutarnji list, is reporting that an elderly woman is missing. Chief Fire Chief Slavko Tucaković told the paper that he had never experienced such a fire in his life. He also said burning vehicles may have contributed to the spread of the fire.

Evacuees, most of whom are foreign tourists, seek refuge at the Gripe Sports Centre, according to local media.

Residents and tourists evacuated from the Croatia wildfire gathered in a sports hall in Omis on Friday morning. / Credit: AP

Fire services struggled to tackle the blaze as strong winds fuel the flames. Dry conditions threaten the landscape as no rainfall is expected in the upcoming days.

British tourist Maxine Jones described on Facebook how she and her family fled to Split and slept on a hotel floor.

“We managed to escape last night [Thursday] and drove to Split. We found a hotel that is fully booked but they allowed us four adults and our two grandchildren to stay on their conference room floor. They have been extremely kind,” she said.

Meanwhile, complex and fast-moving wildfires also raged across Spain on Friday.

In Huesca province, the Las Peñas de Riglos wildfire, which was reported to be 50% contained on Thursday, reignited with considerable intensity and forced further evacuations overnight and into Friday morning, reports said.

Conservationists have worked to save artefacts from the Monastery of San Juan de la Peña, one of the most important monasteries in Aragon in the Middle Ages, as the blaze edges closer.

In Niebla, in the Huelva province, a fire has burned more than 31,000 hectares since igniting on August 6 and has spread to several new areas within the province of Seville.

Also on Friday, 1,800 people were evacuated from their homes in western Germany as a forest fire spread in the Gey district of the Eifel municipality of Hürtgenwald.

While the fire initially affected an area of about 25 hectares, it has since spread to twelve times the size at approximately 300 hectares.

Thick smoke covered the Gey district as firefighters continue to tackle a forest fire in Hürtgenwald, Germany. / Credit: AP

Local officials said 300 emergency responders, three helicopters and two armed forces tanks were actively tackling the blaze on site.

On Thursday evening a “major disaster situation” was declared, with a primary school in the Straß district and the nearby sports and shooting clubs receiving those affected.

A police helicopter was deployed to drop water over the burning forest in western Germany. / Credit: AP

Hundreds of firefighters were deployed to tackle a new fire in the Landes region, on the southwest coast of France, and more than 500 people were evacuated on Thursday.

France is experiencing its driest year on record, and on Thursday temperatures hit 41C.

Cooler and wetter regions in the north of France, such as Brittany, have also been impacted by fires.

In northern Greece, 500 tourists and residents were evacuated from beaches and resorts as a large wildfire burned 1,400 hectares on the Chalkidiki peninsula, damaging homes and vehicles.

A woman covers her face as she flees a wildfire in northern Greece on Thursday. / Credit: AP

A total of 227 firefighters, 57 vehicles, 13 ground units, six firefighting planes and a helicopter were deployed to battle the blaze, which was largely tamed overnight according to news reports.

In Italy, a large blaze broke out in Como on Thursday night, with firefighters and helicopters deployed in an attempt to extinguish the flames.

Closer to home, the UK reported its hottest day of the year on Thursday with temperatures surpassing 38C. Wildfires raged across Wales, Norfolk and in the West Midlands, where six homes were destroyed and a child and three firefighters were taken to hospital.