Wildfires Force Mass Evacuations Across Croatia, Greece and France

A wildfire tore through the Croatian resort town of Omis overnight, injuring 40 people and forcing 1,200 residents and tourists to evacuate, according to local officials. The blaze, which engulfed settlements and trees across more than 1,000 hectares on the Dalmatian coast, turned the night sky red before calming by Friday morning.

Chief Fire Commander Slavko Tucakovic said the fire "swept everything in its way" and caused huge material damage. Health officials reported that seven of the 40 people treated by ambulance services were in serious condition.

In northern Greece, more than 300 people were evacuated by boat from the seaside town of Siviri as flames consumed a nearby forest. The coast guard coordinated the rescue, with fishing vessels and dinghies ferrying residents—some clutching children or pets—to safety. Over 140 firefighters, nine aircraft and seven helicopters were deployed to battle the blaze.

Elsewhere, French authorities evacuated 525 people from the village of Luglon in the southwestern Landes region after a wildfire broke out near an area already devastated by major blazes this summer. In Spain, officials removed the remains of three 11th-century kings from a monastery threatened by fire.

The European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service warned of "very extreme" wildfire conditions across large parts of central and eastern Europe, with additional pockets over southern Britain, Ireland, northern France and southern Sweden in its outlook through August 19.

Data from the Varta Wire Climate Monitor showed the average high across Western Europe on Friday was forecast at 31.2 degrees Celsius—8 degrees above the 1961-1990 norm. The hot, dry summer is also devastating agriculture, with French grain maize production projected to fall to its lowest level since the 1970s.