August the 15th, 2026 – A woman named Karla from Zagreb ended up finding safety from the devastating Omiš fire in a cave. “I am so happy to be alive” she stated.
Among the hundreds of people evacuated from the fire-ravaged area around Omiš is Karla from Zagreb, who is now staying at the reception centre at Gripe in Split. Index reports that while fleeing the advancing flames she was injured and lost almost everything she owned, managing to save only her personal documents, reports Dalmatinski portal.
The major wildfire that broke out near Lokva Rogoznica and quickly threatened several settlements around Omiš forced many residents and visitors to abandon their homes in a matter of minutes. Strong winds drove the fire towards houses, cars and the main coastal road, creating chaotic scenes as people scrambled to escape.
Karla described the terrifying moments when the fire closed in on her group. “We were on the road, in the car. At that moment the fire reached the main road. Cars started burning and then we went down towards the sea,” she said. In the desperate rush towards the coast she fell and suffered injuries. With the flames closing in and no clear escape route left on land, she and others took refuge in a small cave by the sea.
“We waited for about two hours in a little cave by the sea until the rescue service arrived. Above us the fire was blazing,” Karla recounted. The group sat in the darkness of the cave, listening to the roar of the fire and the sound of burning vegetation, unsure whether help would reach them in time. Eventually, emergency services located them and brought them to safety.
Although she was left with nothing but her documents and the clothes she was wearing, Karla stressed that material losses pale in comparison to survival. “I’m just happy to be alive,” she said. Her story is one of many emerging from the Omiš fire, which according to the Croatian Firefighting Association burned around 900 hectares of grass, scrub and pine forest before being brought under control. Hundreds of residents were evacuated, several people required medical attention, and numerous homes and vehicles were damaged or destroyed.
