A British couple from Grimsby, Lincolnshire, has described a dramatic sea evacuation from the Croatian island of Brač after a fast-moving wildfire engulfed their holiday resort on Saturday night, forcing over 200 tourists to scramble across steep coastal rocks under a shower of burning embers. Angela Turkington, 52, and her husband Lee escaped with only their passports and the smoke-saturated clothes on their backs as flames reached the hotel complex, cutting off power and leaving panicked guests navigating rough shoreline in total darkness.
In a detailed account published by Grimsby Live, Angela Turkington, who works in a children’s home in North East Lincolnshire, recounted how what began as distant fires noticed upon their arrival on Wednesday quickly escalated into a chaotic struggle for survival by late Saturday, September 12. While sitting in the hotel bar watching evening entertainment, ash began raining down from the sky onto guests. Although hotel staff initially assured residents that the blaze was under control, the sudden failure of the electrical grid plunged the entire complex into pitch-black conditions, leaving guests unsure of the impending danger.
Panic at the Resort and Sea Scramble
The couple’s anxiety mounted when they observed water-dropping aircraft operating overhead against a crimson night sky, followed shortly by hotel staff packing their own suitcases to flee. Realizing the immediate peril, Angela and Lee joined more than 200 guests congregating in the reception area, which was visibly catching fire. With main exit routes threatened, scores of terrified holidaymakers—including young children and elderly tourists—were directed toward the rugged, rocky coastline adjoining the resort.
Navigating the steep, treacherous terrain using only the flashlights from their mobile phones, the couple helped guide less agile guests toward temporary pontoons swaying dangerously in heavy swells. The severe weather that produced the rough seas was accompanied by lightning storms, which local reports indicate may have ignited the initial wildland blazes across the island. As burning embers continued to fall around them, local Croatian fishermen and residents from a nearby village arrived in small boats, launching a hazardous shore-to-boat rescue operation.
Transfer to Safety and Tour Operator Delays
Because local rescue boats could only take a limited number of passengers per trip, the evacuation took hours. Evacuees prioritized children and families first, leaving Angela and Lee on the final pontoon craft to depart the rocks. They were initially ferried to the harbour town of Milna on Brač’s western coast before being transferred further east along the coast to relative safety in Bol.
Despite reaching secure shelter, the couple remains stranded with virtually none of their personal possessions, having abandoned luggage, clothing, and travel items in their burning room. In constant contact with their six adult children in Grimsby—who were described as deeply distressed back home—the couple is currently awaiting official instructions and emergency arrangements from their travel provider regarding emergency flight repatriation and replacement documents.
Dalmatian Coast Fire Emergency
The incident on Brač highlights the wider wildfire crisis affecting Croatia’s Dalmatian region, where intense heatwaves, prolonged drought, and erratic wind gusts have fueled intense vegetation blazes throughout late summer. Similar fire outbreaks along the mainland near Split and Omiš have triggered mass sea evacuations of residents and international holidaymakers, straining local emergency services and coastal infrastructure.
For affected tourists, the ordeal highlights the vulnerabilities of island resorts during sudden wildland emergencies, where narrow coastal topographies, fragile power grids, and maritime logistics can turn emergency evacuations into high-risk operations. Croatian emergency authorities and municipal fire brigades continue to monitor hot spots across Brač and surrounding coastal islands as firefighting aircraft maintain aerial drops across high-risk terrain.