A wildfire on the Greek island of Crete, fanned by gale-force winds, has forced the evacuation of approximately 5,000 people, including tourists and residents, authorities and hotel officials said on Thursday. The blaze broke out near Ierapetra on the south-east coast of the island, threatening homes and hotels.
Fire brigade spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis reported wind gusts reaching nine on the Beaufort scale, which were rekindling the fire and hindering firefighting efforts. Four settlements were evacuated, with about 3,000 tourists and 2,000 residents moved as a precaution, according to regional hotels’ association president Yorgos Tzarakis. Some people fled into the sea and were rescued by local fishermen and divers.
Around 230 firefighters, 46 vehicles, and helicopters were battling the blaze. Ierapetra’s mayor, Manolis Frangoulis, said no injuries had been reported but described the situation as difficult. A separate fire was also raging in the Halkidiki region of Greece, with 160 firefighters involved.
The heatwave gripping parts of Europe has been linked to at least nine deaths. In Turkey, thousands fled blazes in Cesme and Ödemiş, where an elderly bedridden patient died. In Italy, red alerts were issued for 18 cities, with at least five heat-related deaths reported. In Spain, two people died in a wildfire in Lleida province. Eastern Germany also saw severe wildfires, injuring two emergency workers and forcing evacuations.
Temperatures in several European countries, including Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, and Spain, were forecast to reach the mid-30s Celsius on Thursday. The risk of destructive wildfires in Greece remains high in July, the hottest month of the year.
