British tourists were forced to jump into the sea to escape a wildfire that tore through a holiday island, with some rescued by small boats near the Gava Waterman Milna Resort on the island of Brac in Croatia.
Holidaymakers rushed to the shore as flames engulfed the exclusive retreat on Saturday night, with some managing to get seats on a flotilla of boats. Others leapt into the water to escape the inferno after the resort's staff allegedly vanished as the blaze took hold.
Guests told to 'relax with a drink'
Guests were initially told there was no danger and to go and "relax with a drink" in their rooms, The Sun reports. Brits visiting the country's largest island said they were left "surrounded by fire", with photos from the scene showing flames engulfing the resort.
Josh Robbins, 26, who was visiting Brac with his fiancee, said: "It was terrifying. We were left to run for our lives as a wall of flames closed in. We were showered by burning embers."
"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."
British guests among those affected
Around a third of the guests at the resort were British nationals, staying in its 139 rooms and 17 woodland cottages. The fire was thought to have broken out in nearby woodland before spreading towards Milna.
Steve Saunders, 57, was on a trip celebrating his wife Anne's birthday, but said the couple ended up "running for their lives".
"If we'd stayed in the hotel, we could have been choked by smoke or caught in the fire," he said. "The woodland cottages at the resort were wiped out.
"It was a huge relief to reach one of the boats which came to save us, but I can't believe we were abandoned and given no instructions whatsoever."
Hotel response
A spokesperson for Waterman Hotels said they "recognise how frightening and traumatic Saturday night was for our guests" but denied claims they had been abandoned.
They added: "The resort relied on the information and guidance provided by the relevant emergency authorities and services, including the fire services, and acted on the official information available at each stage of what was an exceptionally fast-moving situation."
"Earlier in the evening, the official information and guidance available to the resort did not indicate that the resort was in immediate danger or that an evacuation was required."
"Conditions then changed with extraordinary speed. As the situation on the ground deteriorated and the fire came dangerously close to the resort, our Reception Manager made the decision to activate the alarm and the evacuation of guests began."
"Members of our reception team involved in assisting the evacuation remained at the resort until the guests had been evacuated. We also recognise that some guests may not have received the guidance and information they needed at the moment they needed it."
