A large forest fire broke out on the popular Zrce party beach on the Croatian island of Pag overnight. Thousands of people were brought to the safety of nightclubs, according to media reports, there were no injuries. The fire was brought under control in the morning after a firefighting plane came to help.
The fire started around 3 am in the coastal pine forest. Revelers were then invited to leave the clubs and take buses and taxis away from the beach. More than 50 firefighters, mobilized with 20 fire engines, would also have to remove hundreds of parked cars to be able to approach the forest and also to prevent the cars from catching fire.
Strong winds made it difficult to extinguish the fire and the surrounding streets were closed. The beach near the town of Novalja, which attracts partygoers from all over Europe, is also popular with Austrian tourists.