At least a dozen people have reportedly been hospitalised in Croatia after blazes tore into the tourist town of Omis.<\/p>\n
Published On 14 Aug 202614 Aug 2026<\/p>\n
Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate across Germany, France, Croatia and Greece as wildfires continue to rage across parts of western and southeastern Europe.<\/p>\n
The blazes follow successive heatwaves<\/a> this summer that have scorched approximately 500,000 hectares of land across the European Union.<\/p>\n Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n In Croatia, strong winds drove a wildfire into the tourist town of Omis on Friday, enveloping settlements and forest areas. Local media reported that 14 people were hospitalised in the nearby city of Split, with seven in life-threatening condition.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have had an extremely difficult night, we have a complicated situation in the area from Lokva Rogoznica to Omis,\u201d Chief Fire Commander Slavko Tucakovic told local news outlets.<\/p>\n Evacuations in Germany and France<\/p>\n In western Germany, authorities ordered about 1,800 people to evacuate after a wildfire spread towards the village of Gey, near the border with Belgium.<\/p>\n In southwestern France, 525 villagers fled a blaze in the pine woods of the Landes region, an area already hit by major fires<\/a> this summer.<\/p>\n The fire has razed 1,100 hectares (2,700 acres) since starting on Thursday, reaching within 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) of the centre of Luglon village, regional official Gilles Clavreul told reporters.<\/p>\n \u201cThe situation is unfavourable,\u201d Clavreul said, adding that 500 firefighters and six aircraft were tackling the flames.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, tourists and residents also fled villages in northern Greece\u2019s Halkidiki region on Thursday after strong winds fanned a wildfire, engulfing houses and trees near a resort during the heart of the holiday season.<\/p>\n