British tourists fled a wildfire on the Croatian island of Brač by taking to the sea in small boats after flames reached their resort, holidaymakers have claimed.
Guests at the Gava Waterman Milna Resort said hotel staff had left the site as the fire advanced, leaving them without an evacuation route. A flotilla of about 50 local boats later collected people stranded on the beach.
Josh Robbins, 26, said visitors were told at about 10pm local time that the fire posed no danger and were advised to return to their rooms and “relax with a drink”.
He said he went outside around five minutes later and found the flames about 20ft from the hotel. He and his fiancée then made their way towards the beach.
“It was terrifying,” Mr Robbins said. “We were left to run for our lives as a wall of flames closed in as we were showered by burning embers.”
He alleged reception staff had already driven away and that the resort had no clear evacuation plan. The main sliding doors were reportedly locked, forcing guests to prise them open as they tried to escape.
“There were dozens of people all trying to get out and we eventually had to prise the doors open to escape,” he said.
Mr Robbins said cars belonging to reception staff had blocked the resort’s narrow access road, preventing firefighting appliances from reaching the hotel. Guests then ran towards a wooden dock, with some entering the water to avoid the flames.
“If we had stayed put as we were, people would have died and we were only saved by the little boats – it was like Dunkirk,” he said.
Wildfire evacuation from Brač resort
Local people began rescuing tourists from the beach at about 11pm, while TUI is said to have sent an evacuation message at around 11.30pm.
Lorraine Pearce, another British holidaymaker, said there had been “no evacuation plan” and that guests had simply run from the resort. She praised people who operated hoses to keep the route to the beach clear, as well as local residents who provided clothes, blankets, rooms and boats.
Around 700 people were evacuated from Brač on Sunday after the wildfire spread through the holiday destination. Hundreds of firefighters were deployed, supported by four firefighting aircraft.
The fire is believed to have started after lightning strikes on Thursday before spreading towards Milna on Friday. Croatian authorities later said there were no more “open flames” on the island.
About a third of the resort’s guests were British. The group, staying on an all-inclusive TUI package costing £1,800 a week, was eventually transferred to the coastal city of Split. No injuries were reported.
A TUI spokesman said: “We know this will have been a distressing experience for those affected by the wildfire on the island of Brac.
“The safety of our customers is our highest priority and our local teams have been supporting those impacted and working closely with the hotel and local authorities.”
