Croatian PM Praises Firefighters as Wildfire Forces Mass Evacuation of Omis

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic visited the coastal town of Omis on Friday to thank firefighters and emergency crews who battled a wildfire that tore through the area overnight, killing one person and forcing more than a thousand residents to flee their homes.

Speaking at a press conference, Plenkovic described the blaze as moving at "lightning speed," igniting shortly after 8 p.m. and spreading rapidly due to ferocious winds. "This speed of wind... was so fast, it took the fire only a few minutes to move from town to town," he said, praising the "superhuman strength and sacrifice" of both volunteer and professional firefighters who defended homes and property.

The fire erupted in an Omis suburb late Thursday and quickly advanced toward the town. Regional maritime authorities reported that 194 people, including children, were rescued from the sea and from boats as they attempted to escape the flames.

Blazenko Boban, governor of the Split canton, said 36 people sought medical help, with 14 admitted to a Split hospital, 10 of whom are in intensive care. He confirmed that over 1,200 evacuees were settled in sports halls in Omis and Split, transported by buses and provided with care. "People who I spoke to last night and this morning are pretty satisfied with the treatment and settlement we provided," Boban added.

Firefighters managed to extinguish the main blaze by Friday morning, while crews in aircraft were redirected further south toward the Peljesac peninsula, where another wildfire had broken out overnight. The events unfold as a new wave of record-breaking heat continues to bake parts of Europe, fueling multiple firefighting efforts across the continent.