Swedish tourists in Croatia about the big fire: "A little nasty"

Uppsala resident Gustav Rahm and his girlfriend Linnea Johansson are on holiday in Ducé in Croatia. Around midday on Thursday, fire truck after fire truck suddenly started whizzing past along the coastal road next to the hotel.

They began to think about what had happened.

From the balcony, they saw the start of the heavy forest fire near the town of Omiš, just outside Split.

- We saw how it burned along the entire mountain. It's the biggest fire I've seen. It's a bit nasty to see such a big fire just a few kilometers from the hotel where we live, says Gustav Rahm.

Around 1,000 were evacuated

According to AP, 36 people were injured in the fire, which forced around 1,000 people to evacuate their homes. Over 150 firefighters are said to have been on site to put an end to the fire during Thursday evening and Friday morning.

On Friday morning, local authorities announced that the heavy fire was under control.

Gustav Rahm and his girlfriend got ready to leave the hotel, but it never came up.

- What do we do if the fire gets closer? My partner and I made a plan: We packed our bags and got ready to knit.

Few Swedes evacuated

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that a few Swedes have been evacuated from the area around Omis.

"These efforts are carried out by local authorities and aid organisations," writes Ebba Westerberg at the Foreign Ministry's press service in an email.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that it is in contact with Swedish travel companies that organize trips to affected areas. At the same time, travelers are urged to follow the information and instructions of local authorities.

"Swedes are encouraged to take advantage of the embassy's travel information on Sweden Abroad or in the UD Resklar app, as well as register on the list of Swedes for the country in question," writes Ebba Westerberg.

Travel company Apollo states that no Swedish tourists had to be evacuated.

- Our travelers in the area have been so far away that there was never any question of evacuation, says Martina Krantz, press officer at Apollo.

Forest fires in several places in Europe

In recent days, a new wave of extreme heat has swept across Europe. In the same vein, fires are raging in forest and land in several countries, in addition to Croatia.

A heavy forest fire is raging at Lake Como in Italy. The same applies to the village of Gey in the municipality of Hürtgenwald in Germany. There, 1,800 people have been forced to evacuate, German media write.

See pictures from the severe forest fire and hear Gustav Rahm talk in the clip above.