REGIONAL
Coast Guard evacuates 700 by sea as wildfire hits Adriatic town
Tourists and residents flee to the beach as flames cut off land routes
Francesca Lazzari320 wordsEdition №66Monday, 3 August 2026 — Edition № 66
The Italian Coast Guard on Sunday, July 26, organized the evacuation of more than 700 people, including tourists, after a wildfire approached a seaside town on the Adriatic, according to The Maritime Executive. People fled to the beach and into the water as the flames closed in, with the sea becoming the only viable evacuation route.
More than 400 tourists and beachgoers were evacuated by sea, the outlet reported, as land routes were cut off by the advancing fire. The operation underscores the growing pressure of summer wildfires on Italy's coastal communities, where tourism and emergency response increasingly collide.
The evacuation is the latest sign of a Mediterranean summer marked by intense fire weather. The Guardian reported this week that fire weather in the EU has broken records for severity for this time of year, with hot, dry and windy conditions 43 percent more severe than the average over the past 20 years. Three wildfires that broke out within days of each other in Spain and France this month are among the 15 largest recorded in the European Union since 2016, according to The Local Italy.
For Puglia, the event carries a direct warning. The region's long Adriatic coastline, dotted with seaside resorts and pine forests, faces the same combination of heat, drought and tourism that turned a wildfire into a maritime rescue operation further north. The Coast Guard's response — moving hundreds of people by sea — reflects a reality that southern Italian regions must prepare for as climate stress intensifies.
The Maritime Executive noted that the evacuation was organized on Sunday, July 26, with the beach serving as the staging ground for the operation. No casualties were reported in the immediate aftermath, though the scale of the rescue — more than 700 people moved by boat — highlights the logistical challenge of evacuating crowded coastal towns when roads are blocked.
The episode adds to a season in which European authorities have repeatedly turned to maritime assets for emergency response. As the EU's fire weather severity reaches record levels, the Adriatic coast now joins a list of regions where the sea is no longer just a tourist attraction but a lifeline.