50 boats rushed across the sea to evacuate people from the beach as the fire spread
Hundreds of people had to flee from the hotel
A couple have described their terrifying escape after a wildfire surrounded their holiday resort, forcing hundreds of guests to flee towards the sea. Stephen and Anna Saunders had been staying at the Gava Waterman resort on Brač in Croatia for a week-long holiday.
Guests at the all-inclusive four-star waterfront hotel were initially reassured there was “nothing to worry about” despite ash falling from the sky and a huge orange glow visible over the hills. The couple, from Rainham, Kent, had arrived on the island last Monday and were aware there had been wildfires in the area for several days.
Stephen said a guide warned them on Friday that lightning strikes had caused the blaze. Despite the fires being close by, he said guests were repeatedly told the situation was under control. But on Saturday evening, September 12, the pair went out to dinner with friends and said they could see an “orange glow” in the sky.
“There was ash falling into our drinks,” Anna said. Just after 9.30pm, the power went out at the hotel. Shortly afterwards, Stephen says ash was “visibly falling from the sky”. At that point, the couple returned to their room and decided to pack a small bag “just in case”. Within minutes, a friend told them that trees were on fire right next to the hotel.
Anna said: “The embers were blowing across. I quickly changed my shoes and we went down by the sea, but there were no lights, and no one from the hotel was present. The fire was just shooting across, and it just came down so quickly, so we thought the best thing to do was get in the water.”
The 52-year-old said hundreds of people eventually gathered on wooden platforms and in the sea as smoke and flames surrounded the bay. “Everyone was absolutely terrified”, she added. “There were hundreds and hundreds of people all on these platforms or in the sea. We were basically trapped.”
Stephen said the only staff members he saw were entertainment and restaurant workers. He says there was no emergency lighting, no clear evacuation route, and reception was empty. A spokesperson for Waterman Hotels and Resorts denied that guests “were abandoned by the resort team”.
Stephen said he had to rescue an elderly couple who became stuck in automatic glass doors. “There were families, elderly people and disabled guests trying to get down a steep, dark resort towards a rocky beach while the fire closed in behind us,” he added.
“Within minutes, the trees around the beach were burning. The flames were above us. It was getting really hot and burning embers were raining down from the sky. At this point, people were jumping into the sea and trying to get away from the smoke.”
Firefighters eventually arrived and helped to organise a sea evacuation, and local boat owners came to help rescue those trapped. Stephen said around 50 boats came to help and praised the firefighters and local people who came to their aid.
The 57-year-old electrician said: “If it weren’t for them, I don’t know what would have happened.” The couple, who booked the holiday through TUI, were moved to accommodation in Split in the early hours of Sunday morning – on Anna’s birthday.
They returned home on Monday evening, but Anna said the experience has had a lasting impact. She explained: “We’re not sleeping properly. You just close your eyes, and you’re going through it all the time.”
Stephen said their luggage is expected to be recovered, although other guests lost their possessions. He is planning to lodge a formal complaint to the hotel along with other people impacted last week.
A spokesperson for Waterman Hotels and Resorts said it recognises how “frightening and traumatic” the ordeal was for guests and does “not seek to diminish or challenge anyone’s individual experience” of the evacuation. They explained that the resort’s layout, the loss of electricity, heavy smoke and poor visibility, and the speed at which the fire advanced meant guests experienced different circumstances and had access to different information at different times.
“We would, however, like to correct one important claim that has appeared in some accounts: our guests were not abandoned by the resort team,” they said. They said staff at the resort, which also hosts easyJet and Jet2 trips, initially acted on “the official information and instructions provided by the authorities and emergency services coordinating the response to the wildfire”, and the resort had been instructed not to evacuate guests.
They added: “Conditions then changed with extraordinary speed. An extreme change in wind drove the fire towards the resort, power was lost, and heavy smoke severely reduced visibility.
“When our team on the ground saw that the situation had changed dramatically and that the fire presented an immediate danger to the resort, our reception manager made the decision to activate the alarm and begin the evacuation. Our employees then assisted guests throughout the evacuation.
“The final group of our employees involved left on the last boat used in the evacuation, after establishing that the guests had gone. Other employees travelled during the fire to assist guests and colleagues at the resort.”
Courage and extraordinary efforts
The spokesperson said reception, kitchen, technical and other resort staff stepped forward to help. They added that the company has received many messages from guests thanking them for their assistance, but accepts that “this does not mean that every guest had the same experience”.
“With more than 360 guests spread across a large resort, no electricity, heavy smoke, extremely poor visibility and a fire advancing at exceptional speed, it was extraordinarily difficult for information and assistance to reach everyone simultaneously,” they explained.
“We understand that some guests therefore felt they did not have the information or guidance they needed at critical moments. We take those experiences seriously.
“However, just as we would never question the fear or distress experienced by any of our guests, we believe it is important that the actions of the many employees who remained and helped others in extremely dangerous circumstances are also accurately represented.”
The team is currently working through inquiries from guests regarding luggage, documentation and other belongings. The spokesperson described the situation as an “extraordinary emergency”, with conditions changing “minute from minute”.
They said: “The courage and extraordinary efforts of the firefighters and emergency services, the solidarity of local people who came by boat and helped evacuate guests, and the commitment of our own employees are not things we believe should be called into question.
Deeply traumatic
“They are a source of profound gratitude and pride, and they are a major reason why far more serious and tragic consequences were avoided.
“We will examine our own actions with the same seriousness. We will conduct a detailed review of the events of that night, including our procedures and communications, and identify any lessons that need to be learned.
“Saturday night was deeply traumatic for our guests, our employees and the local community. Alongside that trauma, however, we will remember the extraordinary courage, solidarity and willingness of people to help one another in exceptionally dangerous circumstances.”
A TUI UK spokesperson said: “We know this will have been a frightening and distressing experience for those affected by the wildfire on the island of Brac. The safety of our customers is our highest priority, and our local teams have been supporting those impacted and working closely with the hotel and local authorities.
“We would like to thank the emergency services for their response to this rapidly developing situation.”