Pinoy workers evacuate as wildfire sweeps through Croatian coastal cities

PRAGUE, Czech Republic - Authorities in Croatia evacuated around 1,200 residents and tourists, including several overseas Filipino workers, after a large wildfire swept through several coastal cities and killed at least one person.

Riza Peñaranda, a 43-year-old garment factory worker who has lived in Omis for nearly a year, first noticed smoke rising from the Omiška Dinara mountain around 8:00 p.m. on Thursday.

By midnight, the power went out, and the heat from the approaching flames woke her and her five roommates in their factory dorm.

“Malakas ang hangin kaya iyon ang nagpakaba sa amin (The winds were strong, that’s why we felt nervous),” Peñaranda told GMA News, noting that the wind “felt like a tornado” as it swirled against the mountain slopes.

Authorities described the blaze, which broke out near Lokva Rogoznica, a settlement in Omiška Dinara, as “one of the worst” that Croatia has experienced in recent years.

The Balkan country is among the many European nations affected by extreme heat waves and dry conditions.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said around 10 people were in intensive care in hospital, and that 1,200 people were evacuated to emergency shelters.

Angelito Resma, a 42-year-old supermarket assistant, was among the evacuees.

Resma, who moved to Croatia from the United Arab Emirates nearly 1.5 years ago, initially thought little of the smoke until the wind shifted.

Within 20 minutes, the flames had reached several residential blocks behind his apartment building.

“Very difficult 'yung feeling—dito na ba ako masusunog? (Will I succumb to this fire?),” Resma recalled thinking as the fire crawled nearer.

Resma and his roommates packed their essentials and joined the crush of vehicles and pedestrians fleeing toward the town center.

He and his colleagues sought refuge in a local evacuation center, which he described as a gym-like facility packed with tourists, folding beds, and supplies.

He said the Croatian authorities were “organized and approachable”, noting that police officers even checked on them as they later attempted to return to their apartment to assess the damage.

While no homes were lost in their immediate area, the aftermath has left much of Omis without electricity. Local shops also remain closed, forcing workers like Resma to go to the city center to find supplies.

“Sa mga kasamahan ko ako nakiki-charge kasi wala pa ring kuryente (I charge my devices in my colleagues’ apartments),” Resma said.

As Peñaranda noted, even though the active flames have subsided, the mountain remains hot–so they have to be alert too.

“Nakahinga kami nang humupa na ang apoy. Hindi kami pumasok today kasi wala pa ring kuryente.”

(We were relieved when the fire subsided. But we still didn’t go to work today because there’s no electricity.)

Their employer has also advised them to prepare their belongings in case authorities ask them to evacuate.

GMA News has reached out to the Philippine Embassy in Vienna for details about the Filipino workers affected by the wildfire. —KG, GMA News