Friday evening fire near a hotel in Podstrana was extinguished shortly after midnight. About twenty tourists were temporarily evacuated, and one reported that his car door handle melted.
The fire that broke out on Friday evening, July 24, 2026, in Podstrana east of Split was extinguished shortly after midnight, firefighters reported. The report of the fire was received at 9:45 PM, and 15 firefighters from the Podstrana Volunteer Fire Department, Žrnovnica Volunteer Fire Department, and the Split Public Fire Brigade responded with six vehicles.
Strong winds spread the flames toward the hotel complex, leading to the temporary evacuation of about twenty tourists from the Hotel Eden. The duty receptionist at Hotel Eden told Hina: "The wind was spreading the flames, so about twenty tourists were temporarily evacuated from the hotel, but they soon returned." The Split County Fire Operations Center confirmed that "the fire did not affect houses and residential buildings," which somewhat eased the concerns of local residents.
One tourist captured the fire from his apartment balcony and posted the video on social media. According to a post by firefighters on the Facebook page 'Vatrogasci 193', the tourist described the intensity of the heat by saying: "My car door handle melted." He also added that the children were frightened. Slobodna Dalmacija reported that the fire was near the Hotel Lav, while Danas.net.hr and N1 HR reported that the fire broke out near the Hotel Eden. Both hotels are in Podstrana, and it is not clear whether it is the same or two separate incidents in the same area.
According to data from the Split County Fire Operations Center, approximately 3,500 square meters of vegetation and forest were scorched. The fire was extinguished half an hour past midnight. No information has been released on whether the cause of the fire was determined or whether material damage was precisely assessed.
The fire in Podstrana was not the only one that the Split-Dalmatia firefighters dealt with in the past 24 hours. On the island of Brač, in Konopjikova Bay, a total of 11.5 hectares burned in three separate fires that broke out nearby. The intervention on Brač engaged 27 firefighters with ten vehicles, and the commander of the Brač Operational Area reported that the situation on the ground was satisfactory and that firefighters continue to clear the fire site. Three members of the Supetar Volunteer Fire Department with one vehicle remained on night duty.
Firefighters also continued extinguishing a fire in the Barbira area, specifically Rilić near Vrgorac, where operations had been ongoing since July 23, 2026. Due to inaccessible terrain, a water bomber aircraft also participated in the firefighting, along with eight members of the Vrgorac Volunteer Fire Department with three vehicles. Separately, in Ruda at 10:50 AM, a grass and low vegetation fire was reported, and four firefighters from the Otok Volunteer Fire Department responded with one vehicle. High temperatures and wind continue to pose an increased fire risk in Split-Dalmatia County, and fire units remain on alert.
