British tourists staying at the Gava Waterman Milna Resort on the island of Brac were forced to flee into the sea to escape a fast-moving wildfire. the incident, which occurred on a Saturday night, saw guests abandoned by resort staff as flames approached the property.
A "Dunkirk" moment on the shores of Milna
The evacuation of the Gava Waterman Milna Resort resembled a desperate rescue operation as guests scrambled toward the water. According to the report, a flotilla of approximately 50 local boats arrived around 11:00 PM to pick up tourists who had been forced to leap into the ocean to avoid the advancing flames. Josh Robbins, a 26-year-old British tourist, described the scene as terrifying, noting that a wall of flames and burning embers closed in on the guests.
This local rescue effort was part of a larger emergency response on the isand of Brac,where nearly 700 people were eventually evacuated following a wildfire believed to have been triggered by lightning strikes on Thursday. While hundreds of firefighters and four firefighting planes worked to contain the blaze, the immediate safety of those at the resort was left to the initiative of local residents .
Locked doors and blocked roads at the Gava Waterman Resort
Chaos erupted at the resort when power was cut at 9:35 PM, leaving many guests in the dark. As the wildfire intensified, staff members reportedly fled the premises in their personal vehicles. This departure created a secondary crisis, as the parked cars blocked the narrow access roads, preventing fire appliances from reaching the hotel.. Furthermore, some guests, including an elderly couple, were reportedly trapped inside the building because the main sliding glass doors had been locked shut.
The situation was exacerbated by the fact that the fire had already been spreading toward Milna since Friday.. The lack of an organized exit strategy meant that guests had to resort to physical force, with some having to prise doors open to esacpe the building as the fire neared the structure.
The 90-minute delay in TUI's evacuation response
Holidaymaker safety was further compromised by the timing of official communications from the travel organizer, TUI. while the fire was alrady threatening the resort, TUI did not issue an evacuation message until approximately 11:30 PM, according to eyewitness accounts. This delay occurred even though many of the affected travelers were on high-end, £1,800-a-week all-inclusive packages.
The resort also hosts guests from other major providers, including Jet2, Saga, and EasyJet holidays, all of whom were caught in the sudden chaos. The delay in communication meant that by the time official instructions arrived, many tourists were already in rescue boats or had already fled into the sea to save themselves.
Questions over the 'relax with a drink' directive
The incident has left several critical questions regarding the management of the Gava Waterman Milna Resort and the oversight of holiday organizers. why did staff members tell guests to "relax with a drink" and insist the hotel was safe while ash was raining down on the property? Additionally, it remains unclear why no formal evacuation plan was in place for the hundreds of tourists on-site.
The report also leaves unaddressed whether the hotel or TUI will face liability for the lack of immediate emergency protocols and the failure to provide a clear exit strategy for guests. As the fire was eventually contained, the focus now shifts to how such a significant breakdown in duty of care could occur at a major international resort.
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