Hundreds of people have been evacuated from homes and tourist resorts in Crete as a wildfire tears through forests on the Greek holiday island.
The Greek fire department said that more than 230 firefighters are continuing to battle the blaze, which broke out on Wednesday afternoon in the forested hills near Lerapetra on the island’s southern coast.
Gale-force winds have driven flames southward across a front now stretching more than 6km, emergency services said.
More than 1,500 people were evacuated from hotels and homes on Wednesday as fire-fighting efforts intensified. Several people were treated for breathing difficulties, officials said, but there were no immediate reports of serious injuries.
The risk of wildfires remains very high across Crete and parts of southern Greece on Thursday, according to a daily bulletin issued by the fire service.
Wildfires are frequent in the country during its hot, dry summers, and the fire department has already tackled dozens across Greece so far this year.
Fire is ‘very hard to contain’ say authorities
Authorities have been battling the flames for hours overnight, but gale-force winds have made it difficult to contain the fire.
The fire department said 230 firefighters backed up by 10 water-dropping aircraft were battling the flames, which have burned through forest and farmland in Crete’s Ierapetra area on the island’s southern coast.
“It’s a very difficult situation. The fire is very hard to contain. Right now, they cannot contain it,” Nektarios Papadakis, a civil protection official at the regional authority, told the AP news agency.
“The tourists who were moved out are all okay. They have been taken to an indoor basketball arena and hotels in other regions of the island.”
How did the fire begin?
The fire began in an area of dense, flammable vegetation between Agia Fotia and Skinokapsala, with steep slopes, parched ground and gusty winds making containment extremely difficult.
Officials say crews will work through the night to protect threatened settlements by creating firebreaks.
But the risk of further wildfires remains very high across Crete and parts of southern Greece on Thursday, according to a daily bulletin issued by the Fire Service.
Mass evacuations carried out across the island
Since the wildfire broke out yesterday, mass evacuations have been carried out in parts of Crete.
This includes from the Achlia, Ferma, Agia Fotia and Koutsounari areas of the Greek island.
Authorities have ordered the mass evacuation of hotels, rental rooms and homes as flames spread throughout the area. Many buildings have been damaged so far by the fires.
Around 200 evacuees are currently being held in a sports arena in Ierapetra for temporary shelter, as firefighting efforts intensified overnight.
Two people were evacuated by boat overnight, while six private boats were on standby in case further evacuations by sea became necessary, the coast guard said.
Full report: Thousands evacuated as massive wildfire rips through Greek holiday island
Our climate correspondent, Stuti Mishra, brings the full report of the huge wildfire in Crete:
In pictures: Firefighters battle huge flames in Crete
Hundreds evacuated as wildfires rip through Crete
A wildfire has been tearing through Greece’s southern island of Crete, prompting the evacuation of more than 1,500 residents from hotels and homes.
Hundreds of firefighters are now battling the blaze and evacuations by sea have begun, according to the coastguard.
Gale-force winds have fanned the fire after it broke out in the forested terrain near the Ierapetra municipality.
We will be bringing you all the latest news from the wildfires on this live blog.
