Authorities evacuated approximately 500 people, including British tourists, from the Croatian island of Brač following a wildfire. According to firefighters who spoke with the Hina news agency, many of those displaced were guests at the Gava Waterman Milna Resort. The evacuation involved the use of Croatian navy vessels, port authority boats, fishing boats, and speedboats to transport people.
Local officials and witnesses reported that the fire spread rapidly. Frane Lozic, the mayor of Milna, stated on Sunday, September 13, that the fire appeared to be under control until high winds on the night of Saturday, September 12, caused it to expand. Lozic described the event as a disaster, noting the speed at which the fire moved across the landscape. Authorities believe approximately 3,500 hectares have been burned in this fire, though a final damage assessment is pending.
Several British tourists described their experiences during the evacuation to media outlets. Josh Robbins and Shelby A’Court reported finding their resort car park surrounded by fire and eventually used a paddleboard to reach a rescue boat. Another guest, Steve Saunders, told The Times that he felt abandoned and received no instructions. A spokesperson for Waterman Hotels denied that staff had abandoned guests, telling The Times that employees showed courage during a fast-moving fire characterized by power outages, heavy smoke, and strong winds.
The wildfire affects approximately 500 evacuees, including international tourists and residents. While the specific financial impact on individuals was not reported, authorities believe 3,500 hectares (approximately 8,648 acres) burned in this single incident. This contributes to a year in which Croatia has seen more than 20,800 hectares destroyed across 59 wildfires. For travelers and residents, such events resulted in disruptions to safety and transportation, including the emergency maritime evacuation required when land routes were blocked.
The fire on Brač is part of a larger regional pattern reported by the European Union’s crisis management commissioner, Hadja Lahbib, who noted that approximately 700,000 hectares have burned across the EU during 2026. This year marks Croatia's highest wildfire impact since 2022, though it remains below the 2017 record of 67,666 hectares. The increase in fire activity coincides with back-to-back heatwaves that officials linked to tens of thousands of excess deaths across the continent.
What happens next depends on the completion of the full damage assessment by Croatian authorities. The resort indicated that the fire was driven by specific weather conditions, such as the sea winds mentioned by Mayor Lozic, which can cause dormant fires to reignite. While the evacuees from the Gava Waterman Milna Resort have been moved to safety, the long-term impact on the island's tourism infrastructure and the local ecosystem remains under review. No specific timeline for the reopening of affected resort areas or the conclusion of the official investigation into the fire's origin was reported.