Thousands of people in Germany, France, Croatia, and Greece have been forced to evacuate as wildfires continue to rage across parts of Western and Southeastern Europe. The fires come after successive heatwaves this summer, which have scorched about 500,000 hectares of land across the European Union.
In Croatia, strong winds pushed the fire into the tourist town of Omis on Friday, engulfing residential areas and forestland. Local media reported that 14 people were hospitalized in the nearby city of Split, with seven in critical condition.
Chief fire commander Slavko Tucakovic told local media: “We had an extremely difficult night, the situation in the area from Lokva Rogoznica to Omis is complex.”
Evacuations in Germany and France
In western Germany, authorities ordered around 1,800 people to evacuate after the fire spread toward the village of Gey, near the border with Belgium.
In southwestern France, 525 residents were forced to leave their homes due to a blaze in a pine forest in the Landes region, which has already suffered major fires this summer. Regional official Gilles Clavreul said the fire has burned 1,100 hectares since it broke out on Thursday, reaching within 2 kilometers of the center of the village of Luglon.
“The situation is not favorable,” Clavreul said, adding that 500 firefighters and six aircraft have been deployed to fight the flames.
Meanwhile, in the Halkidiki region of northern Greece, tourists and residents were also forced to evacuate villages on Thursday after strong winds reignited a fire, engulfing homes and trees near a resort during the peak tourist season.
Scientists say the hot and dry weather driving wildfires across Europe is linked to climate change. This summer's heatwaves have particularly affected France, Spain, Greece, and the Balkans.
