Closing summary
And, on that note, we will be closing the blog for today.
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At least one person died and 42 were injured in major wildfire near Lokva Rogoznica and Omiš on the Croatian coast (10:19, 11:25, 11:47, 13:15, 15:48, 16:58).
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14 people were hospitalised, and seven remain in life-threatening condition, including four transported to specialist hospitals in Zagreb.
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Over 1,000 people were evacuated, including many tourists, with reports that Czech and Hungarian citizens were among those affected by the fire (11:25, 15:57).
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Croatian prime minister Andrej Plenković said it was “one of the worst fires in recent years,” as he hailed firefighters for their efforts to stop the blaze (11:47).
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Significant wildfires were also reported in England (9:39, 12:38, 13:54, 14:36), France (15:08), Germany (10:09), and Greece, among others.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com.
I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
Updated
One person dead after body found in affected area
One person was confirmed dead in the Croatian fires last night, after firefighters discovered a body in the area affected by the blaze, local media reported.
As per earlier reports, seven people are in life-threatening condition in hospital.
Updated
Croatian firefighters battle to fully extinguish Omiš wildfire - in pictures
EU's climate service warns of 'very extreme' conditions in CEE, Britain, France, Ireland
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service warned of “very extreme” conditions across a large area of central and eastern Europe, with additional pockets over southern Britain, Ireland, northern France and southern Sweden, in its outlook for the week to 19 August.
The average high across western Europe on Friday was forecast to be 31.2C, which is 8C above what was typical from 1961 to 1990, data from the Reuters Climate Monitor showed.
The temperature for Europe as a whole was 1.6C above the 1961-1990 average, it said.
In total, some 1,200 people were evacuated from Lokva Rogoznica and Omiš, authorities said.
Among them was also a group of over Hungarian tourists, the country’s foreign ministry said. Four Hungarians were injured, and two required hospitalisation, Jurtanji List reported.
42 people injured in Omiš wildfire in Croatia
The latest update from Croatia says the number of people injured in last night’s violent wildfire in the Lokva Rogoznica and Omiš area has gone up to 42 (10:19, 11:25, 11:47, 13:15).
Seven people are still in life-threatening condition, and four of them have been transferred to specialist hospitals in the Croatian capital, Zagreb.
Prolonged extreme temperatures means Britain is 'a tinderbox,' PM Burnham warns going into the weekend
Speaking to reporters in Stourbridge, prime minister Andy Burnham warned the country was a “tinderbox,” as he urged people to behave responsibly over the weekend.
He told reporters:
“Britain is a tinderbox right now, and please just have that in your mind.
We’re going to go into the rest of the weekend… This is not over by any means. We’ve got 37 fires smouldering around the country, so it could be more. So please bear that in mind at all times.”
Burnham also spoke about the adaptations required given ongoing climate crisis, saying Britain will need to “react accordingly.”
“So I will convene at the end of the summer, a summit with fire and rescue services to make sure they are properly resourced going forwards.
We’ve lost firefighters in recent years. I know it as a former mayor, from a very grassroots level, some of the pressures on our fire and rescue services.
I can’t say today that we’ve done enough to fully resource them to deal with these type of incidents, and I want our firefighters to know that I understand how it seems from their point of view, and I’m going to convene that summit to make sure we get in place the right and support, including the aerial support, permanently if that is what they deem is needed.
Obviously, there’s other adjustments that we need to make in relation to climate change. We might be in for a wet autumn and winter straight after this, because of El Niño and some of the issues there, which were reported to Cobra. So, after fire could come floods.”
Burnham also said that military personnel will be sent to “support” firefighting services given the growing number of incidents across the country.
““We have a system of mutual aid in play at the moment, where fire and rescue services are supporting each other, but with so many incidents, it is crucial that the military support is there if fire and rescue services can’t do the same backup that they would normally be doing. So that is hugely appreciated,” he said.
Updated
UK issues a temporary ban on disposable barbecues due to wildfires risk
Meanwhile, the UK government has issued a temporary ban on the sale of disposable barbecues as they pose a “significant risk to the public” due to the heatwave conditions, PA reported.
The new advice published on the Government’s website states:
“During the current drought and heatwave conditions, the government considers that the supply and subsequent foreseeable use of disposable barbecues poses a significant risk to the public, and the environment, and therefore cannot be considered a safe product.
They should not be made available for supply either in store or online at the current time.
These guidelines will be kept under review, and will be withdrawn in consultation with relevant departments and agencies, as weather conditions change sufficiently to significantly reduce the risks.”
Almost 500 arrested on suspicion of starting wildfires in France this summer
Europe correspondent
Almost 500 people have been arrested on suspicion of starting wildfires in France since the start of the summer, authorities have said, as firefighters in half a dozen European countries tackle ferocious blazes amid a record-breaking heatwave.
With three out of five Europeans facing temperatures of at least 30C on Friday and about 150 million enduring 35C or more, France’s interior ministry said 474 people, including 183 minors, had been detained over wildfires in the country since 1 July.
About 70% of those arrested were suspected of deliberately starting fires and the rest of doing so accidentally, it said. French media said a 15-year-old boy had been detained in connection with a fire near Bordeaux airport that killed two firefighters in July.
Wildfires in Britain hit record levels after homes burn in intense heat
Wildfires in England and Wales have hit a record level, fire chiefs said on Friday, warning that rescue services were battling to keep up with rising risks a day after fires raced from tinder-dry fields to engulf houses on the hottest day of the year.
Britain has not faced anything like the devastation wrought across Spain, France and elsewhere in Europe this year, but as it endures its fifth heatwave of what is expected to be its hottest ever summer, it is dealing with more outbreaks of fire than ever before.
Phil Garrigan, chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council, told Reuters the number of wildfires had now exceeded last year’s total of 1,017.
“We’ve well surpassed the figures from the previous high of 2025,” Garrigan said, without detailing this year’s latest figure.
“We’re only in the middle of August, and the wildfire season seems to extend way into November at this moment in time. So, we’re anticipating this being not just a record-breaking year, but a considerable increase on the number of wildfires previously experienced.”
Six firefighters hospitalised from smoke inhalation in West Midlands fires
Six firefighters have been taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion after battling the wildfires in the West Midlands, Staffordshire Fire Service said.
Glynn Luznyj, chief fire officer for the service, said:
Crews have been working tirelessly through the night and thankfully the Goldenhill, Parkhall, Tamworth and Cannock Chase fires are now under control.
It has been great to see people coming together to support each other. Crews have been provided with free food and refreshments and we’ve seen that people are coming forward to provide spare furniture and goods to those who have lost them to fires.
We’re working extremely hard to keep everyone safe, but we really need people to do their part to prevent these fires from happening in the first place.
The Met Office, the official weather agency, confirmed that 38.1C (100.6 F) was recorded in west London on Thursday, marking the hottest day of the year.
While temperatures cooled slightly on Friday, many parts of the country have seen little to no rain for weeks. This July has been the driest in England and Wales since records began in 1836.
Updated
West Midlands fire was like 'an inferno', witnesses say
We are getting some witness accounts of the fire in West Midlands, via PA news agency.
Andrew Reynolds, 42, told the Press Association:
“My mum’s lost everything. Absolutely everything. There’s nothing saveable.”
He described the scene on Thursday night as an “inferno” which destroyed the house his mother has lived in for 34 years.
Mr Reynolds said all his grandmother’s possessions were in the loft and will have been destroyed in the fire.
He said:
“(It was) stuff that she treasured that was going to be left to me.
No monetary value in it whatsoever, just the fact it was my nan’s and my nan was my whole world.
It’s all gone, including 100 years’ worth of photos from the family.”
He said the fire quickly “ripped through” the houses.
Tony Aldhouse, 62, who also lives on the street, said his garden looks like a “bomb had hit it”.
The fire service said there was a full evacuation of around 50 residents at the blaze at Gorleston Road, where a number of terraced houses have been damaged by the fire.
Meanwhile, French firefighters are still tackling a blaze in the Landes region, with more than 500 people evacuated as a precaution.
French media are reporting that the emergency response saw the first deployment of a new water-bombing helicopter Chinook CH-47D, on loan from Australia, which is capable of carrying twice as much water as a Canadair aircraft.
The machine can drop 11,300 litres of water, and refill within 90 seconds, it said, helping in effective response to any new wildfires.
Updated
Major fire in Croatian seaside town of Omiš leaves at least 36 injured - in pictures
We are getting some more pictures showing the dramatic scenes last night during a major wildfire near Omiš in Croatia (10:19, 11:25, 11:47).
And here is the scene this afternoon:
54 patients treated by paramedics with 19 hospitalised after West Midlands wildfires
We just got an update from the West Midlands ambulance service.
A total of 54 patients have been treated by paramedics – including 19 who were taken to hospital – as a result of wildfires in the region, PA reported.
Sicily's Catania airport remains closed until Saturday due to Mount Etna's volcanic activity
Meanwhile, flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Saturday because of ash from Mount Etna’s ongoing volcanic activity, which has forced hundreds of flights to be cancelled or rerouted over the past week, Reuters reported.
All arrivals at the island hub, Italy’s fifth-busiest airport by passenger traffic, will be suspended through 2am local time on 15 August, airport operator SAC said in a statement.
The current disruption is the most severe to affect Catania airport in at least two decades, according to SAC sources quoted by Italian news agency ANSA.
Some 630 flights were diverted to other airports, and more than a third of the 1,974 flights scheduled at Catania were cancelled.
England has seen only 6% of long-term average rain in August after driest July on record
England has received just 4mm of rain so far in August, or 6% of the long-term average for the month, the Environment Agency said on Friday, as reported by PA.
It follows the driest July on record for the country, when only 7mm of rain was measured, or 10% of the average.
'One of worst fires in recent years,' Croatian PM says, as seven people reported in life-threatening condition
Speaking in Omiš, Croatian PM Plenković said it was “one of the worst fires in recent years,” as he stressed the “what is most important is that there are no confirmed fatalities so far.”
He thanked the local firefighters for their attempts to tackle the blaze, and pledged financial support to the communities affected by the fire.
But local hospitals said that seven of the 14 hospitalised people were in life-threatening condition, Croatian public broadcaster HRT reported, with authorities working on transferring some of them to the capital, Zagreb, to receive specialist care.
Updated
300 Czechs among 1,000 evacuated in Croatian fire as PM, president rush to site
We are getting a bit more detail about the terrifying fire in the Croatian seaside town of Omiš.
Some 300 Czech tourists are among the 1,000 evacuees, Czech media reported, with a Czech police officer sent to coordinate the emergency response.
Croatian prime minister Andrej Plenković is in the town holding a coordination meeting with all emergency services this morning. Croatian president Zoran Milanović is also expected later today.
“All those injured in last night’s fire are being provided with the necessary medical care,” Plenković said in an earlier update on X.
Campaigners, scientists question why PM Burnham is reluctant to speak about the climate crisis
Harriet Richards
Assistant environment editor
On Thursday UK foreign secretary Ed Miliband posted a stark message on Instagram warning that climate breakdown is a national security threat to British people.
He promised to work with countries around the world to tackle global heating, adding:
“I feel this so deeply. We owe it to future generations to act. Our planet is sending us a warning signal and we are going to listen.”
Meanwhile people are asking why prime minister Andy Burnham is so reluctant to talk about the climate crisis, the effects of which are raging around the country.
Sandra Laville, our environment correspondent, writes today:
“From the first day Andy Burnham came into office, climate scientists, campaigners and some of the ordinary people surviving through this summer of extreme heat began to wonder when he would start to talk about the climate crisis.
Up until this week, many held back from criticism. After all, he had only been in power for a couple weeks; it felt far too early to start to judge and call him out on it.
But as we watched the footage of terrified horses galloping over cindering heathland in the New Forest while yet another wildfire took hold, it no longer felt too soon to wonder.
Now people are asking aloud: why is Burnham ignoring what is in front of his face – the devastating impact of climate breakdown on the country and its citizens?”
150 million people in Europe to experience temperatures of 35C and above today
While the temperatures might be slightly dropping in the UK today, it’s not really the case elsewhere as still some 150 million people in Europe are going to experience temperatures of 35C or above today, an AFP analysis showed.
Temperatures are set to surpass 30C for around three out of five European residents (excluding Turkey), amounting to around 350 million people, AFP said.
That’s a lot.
Updated
Seven people with life-threatening injuries after Croatia fire, as number of injured goes up to 36
Menawhile, the number of people injured in the Croatian fire has gone up to 36, with about 1,000 people also evacuated (9:36).
14 people were hospitalised, and seven have life-threatening injuries, Reuters said.
“Everything flared up in a second,” Goran Lović, the owner of a cafe near where the fire broke out in Lokva Rogoznica, told the Jutarnji List newspaper. “It just happened all of a sudden, there was an open flame in the part where there is a forest and no houses.”
Most of the affected people are believed to be tourists, with many people missing documents and documentations, the local Red Cross said.
““I haven’t experienced anything like this in 15 years,” Tomislav Gojo of the Split Red Cross told Jutarnij List.
1,800 people evacuated overnight as German wildfire spreads
Around 1,800 people had to leave their homes in western Germany overnight as a wildfire spread nearby, officials said Friday, with helicopters and army equipment deployed to help battle the flames, AFP reported.
A district of the town of Hürtgenwald near the Belgian and Dutch borders was evacuated after the fire expanded from 25 hectares (around 60 acres) to 300 hectares by Friday morning.
PM Burnham offers thanks to firefighters tackling West Midlands blaze
UK prime minister Andy Burnham also responded to the wildfire in West Midlands, saying his thoughts are with everyone affected.
“I’m in touch with local leaders like [West Midlands Mayor] Richard Parker and will be speaking to emergency services on the ground as they continue their response.
Our firefighters are working in incredibly difficult conditions and putting themselves at risk to keep others safe. A huge thank you to them and everyone supporting the effort tonight.”
He added:
“Please stay safe and follow their advice.”
'Extensive' devastation caused by 'one of the most significant' incidents West Midlands Fire Service faced
The latest from West Midlands is that fire crews are making progress tackling huge blazes that led to thousands of 999 calls and caused “extensive” devastation, a fire chief said, as reported by PA.
Chief fire officer Simon Tuhill, of West Midlands Fire Service, said one huge blaze in Stourbridge, which forced some people to flee after it started tearing through homes, was “one of the most significant” incidents the region’s fire service has ever dealt with.
An update from West Midlands Fire Service on Friday morning said crews were “making progress” and “tactically working across several different areas of the site”.
Morning opening: This is too much
A child and three firefighters were taken to hospital following the wildfire in Stourbridge as England once again joined a long – and growing – list of countries battling active fires during this year’s extraordinarily extremely hot summer.
With the hottest day of the year recorded in England on Thursday, the temperatures are expected to start to fall, but just slightly, on Friday, with low to mid 30s expected.
Across the channel, France is also expecting another hot day after temperatures of up to 41C on Thursday. Over 500 people were evacuated from the southwestern Landes region.
Over in Greece, hundreds of tourists were evacuated from the popular hotspot of Halkidiki, as firefighters continue to fight a large blaze amid gale-force winds.
At least 19 people were also injured in a fire near the Croatian tourist town of Omiš, with two people requiring hospitalisation in the popular city of Split.
I will bring you all the updates during the day. Stay safe, and drink plenty of water.
It’s Friday, 14 August 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
