Fire Sweeps Coastal Croatia, Nearly 200 People Rescued From the Adriatic

A wildfire that tore through the hills above Omiš overnight drove nearly 200 people into the sea, where they were rescued in a large maritime operation stretching along the Dalmatian coast.

The fire broke out near Lokva Rogoznica, a village southeast of Omiš, late on Thursday and spread fast. When land routes were cut off, residents and tourists, some with children, went directly to the shore and into the water. At around midnight, word reached the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Rijeka that a large group of people were in the sea without supervision. The centre launched a coordinated response drawing on Split Port Authority stations in Makarska, Milna and Hvar. Nearly 200 people were brought to safety.

More than 1,000 people were evacuated in total across the Omiš area. The blaze burned through roughly 1,000 hectares. Nineteen people were injured. Split opened an emergency reception centre at the Gripe Sports Centre, where more than 300 evacuees spent the night.

Around 157 firefighters and 44 vehicles worked through the early hours to contain the fire. The blaze reached the edge of Omiš itself before firefighters managed to hold it.

Croatia's coastline around Omiš sees dense vessel traffic throughout summer, and the wildfire response drew on that network directly. MarineRadar data shows a 3.8-times surge in vessel-tracking in the Adriatic off Lovište in the past 24 hours, up from baseline, as rescue vessels converged on the coast near Omiš.

The fires are part of a wider August 2026 wave sweeping Mediterranean coastlines. Blazes have also hit Greece, Spain and Turkey in recent weeks. The Dalmatian coast is particularly exposed in summer, when the Bora and Jugo winds can push flames toward the sea within hours of ignition.