Fires close in on hotels and homes: Greece and Croatia ablaze

Forest fires at the height of the tourist season have reached popular resorts in Greece and Croatia. Strong winds are rapidly spreading the flames, which have already reached residential areas, homes and tourist infrastructure.

In Greece’s Halkidiki, a fire broke out near the resort of Siviri and quickly spread through a pine forest towards residential neighbourhoods. The flames damaged homes and cars, while road closures forced dozens of holidaymakers to leave the coast by sea. During a large-scale operation, 481 people were evacuated from Siviri beach — they were taken away by coast guard boats, firefighting vessels, a ferry and private boats.

By morning, the fire had been largely brought under control, but emergency services remain in the area due to the continuing risk of new outbreaks. Strong gusts of wind are complicating the situation and could quickly spread the flames again.

An equally serious situation developed on Croatia’s Adriatic coast near the town of Omiš. The fire, which started in the Lokva-Rogoznica area, quickly approached residential neighbourhoods and the town itself because of the wind. The flames destroyed homes and threatened tourist infrastructure, while part of the Adriatic Highway had to be closed. Around 1,000 residents and tourists were evacuated, and dozens of people were injured.

According to Reuters, around 40 people were injured in the fire near Omiš, seven of them seriously. Overnight, the fire spread across more than 1,000 hectares, while dozens of fire engines and aircraft were deployed to fight it.

Both fires occurred at the peak of the tourist season, when resort areas are packed with holidaymakers. Extreme heat, drought and strong winds are significantly increasing the speed at which fires spread and placing additional pressure on emergency services across southern Europe.