Multiple wildfires erupted across western and southeastern Europe, prompting mass evacuations in four countries. The blazes followed successive heatwaves that have affected the continent throughout the season, burning approximately 500,000 hectares of land across the European Union.
In Croatia, a major incident unfolded when strong winds drove a wildfire into the coastal tourist town of Omis on Friday. The fire spread across both settlements and forested areas in the region. Emergency response efforts resulted in 14 people being hospitalized in the nearby city of Split, with seven cases classified as life-threatening. Local fire authorities described the situation as complicated and extremely challenging, with conditions particularly difficult in the area stretching from Lokva Rogoznica to Omis.
Germany experienced evacuations in the western part of the country, where approximately 1,800 residents were ordered to leave after a wildfire advanced toward the village of Gey near the Belgian border. In southwestern France, the Landes region, which had already experienced major fires earlier in the summer, saw another significant blaze force 525 villagers to evacuate from pine woods. That fire had consumed 1,100 hectares of land since beginning on Thursday and advanced within 2 kilometers of Luglon village’s center. Authorities deployed 500 firefighters and six aircraft to combat the flames, though conditions remained unfavorable.
Northern Greece’s Halkidiki region also saw evacuations on Thursday as strong winds intensified a wildfire that engulfed houses and trees near a resort during peak tourism season. Scientists have attributed the extreme heat and severe drought conditions fueling the fires to climate change, with France, Spain, Greece, and the Balkans experiencing particularly severe heatwaves this summer.
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