Zagreb, 14 August 2026 (Hina/MIA) -- At least 36 people have been injured in a wildfire that broke out Thursday evening at Lokva Rogoznica near Omiš, Croatia, and 14 of them have been hospitalized at the Split hospital, with seven in life-threatening condition.

The seven patients in life-threatening condition are in the intensive care unit. Another three are in a high-dependency unit. The remaining hospitalized patients are being treated in other wards, the hospital said Friday.

Most of those treated suffered burns, while others sought medical attention mainly for breathing problems caused by smoke inhalation.

Fire chief: Many houses burned or damaged

The fire burned between 900 and 1,000 hectares of land, prompting the evacuation of around 1,000 people, Chief Fire Commander Slavko Tucaković told Croatian Radio and Television earlier Friday.

"The situation is somewhat calmer this morning. There are no longer any open flames, but there is a lot of smoke and firefighters are carrying out mop-up operations across the entire fire area from Mimice to Omiš," he said.

Tucaković said the fire reached the town of Omiš itself, with many houses burned or damaged.

"The most important thing is that there were no fatalities," he said. "The police, together with Civil Protection, did a huge part of the work evacuating residents, with the Red Cross also involved."

More than 300 Omiš evacuees, mostly foreign tourists, accommodated in Split

A total of 321 people evacuated from Omiš and surrounding areas due to the fire are currently staying at an emergency reception center at the Gripe sports complex in Split, most of them foreign tourists, the Red Cross and City of Split said Friday.

The evacuees were brought to Split in the early morning hours and provided with beds, blankets, food, water and sanitation facilities. Medical teams and police are also on site.

Split Red Cross director Tomislav Gojo said many evacuees did not know where their family members or friends were.

"There are more foreign nationals than Croatian citizens, although we don't have the final figures yet. They are mostly tourists. Some were left without documents, while others were without medication, and we took some people to the emergency department," Gojo said.

The City of Split said more than 300 people were currently staying at the center, including nationals of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, with Polish tourists making up the largest group. The city has provided food and other basic amenities, which will be available to evacuees for as long as needed.

Police urge drivers to avoid traveling toward Omiš

Due to heavy traffic towards Omiš, police urged drivers to avoid traveling there. Traffic from Omiš toward Makarska and at Dupci toward Split has been closed until further notice.