Firefighters have been battling fresh wildfires on the Greek islands of Crete, Paros and Lesbos, as well as on the Greek mainland.
Meanwhile, in Turkey, the main road linking the popular tourist areas of Fethiye and Antalya was closed due to a blaze, which also forced the partial closure of a hospital in the Mugla province.
In central-southern Crete, tourists were among those evacuated from several areas in the Rethymno area including the mountain village of Krya Vrysi, where two firefighters died tackling a wildfire, and the tourist resort of Agia Galini.
Fanned by strong winds, the fire front extended more than nine miles, according to witnesses, as reported by the BBC.
Alerts were sent to people’s mobiles on Wednesday afternoon, urging them to evacuate the danger zones.
They were assisted by the police and the coast guard, which helped ferry residents and tourists from Agios Pavlos and Triopetra, which couldn’t be reached by bus.
Some were transferred to other hotels on the island, while others were accommodated in sports halls, with schools also placed on standby to open their doors if needed, as reported by Euronews.
Greece Minister of Tourism Olga Kegalogianni said: “From the outset of the wildfire in Rethymno, the Greek government acted quickly. Approximately 40 tourist coaches and intercity buses were deployed. They safely transported residents and visitors evacuated from the affected areas. Temporary accommodation was arranged through the emergency accommodation management platform for people affected by wildfires.
“Thanks to close coordination among all relevant authorities, evacuees are now safely returning to their accommodations to continue with their holidays. The safety of residents and visitors remains our absolute priority.”
Firefighters have also been battling fires on the Aegean islands of Paros and Lesbos, and the southern town of Trifylia on the Greek mainland.
Local authorities have evacuated around 10 villages on Paros since the fire broke out in the Kampi area on Tuesday. It later spread on multiple fronts on the southern and southeastern side of the island.
The Paros Fire Department said 66 firefighters and four forest commando teams from the 1st Special Forest Operations Unit were deployed to tackle the flames, as reported by the Independent.
On Lesbos, ground crews and six aircraft are tacking a fire that has burned through 100 hectares in Plomari, forcing the precautionary evacuation of tourists and residents from the area. The situation is understood to be improving this morning.
In Spain, emergency services are continuing to fight the largest recorded wildfire in Spanish history, around 100 kms from the capital Madrid.
In south-west France, large fires in the Gironde region have been stabilised, but smaller fires have broken out south-west of Bordeaux and in Lanton, on the Bay of Arcachon.
Bordeaux Airport said the situation is ‘gradually improving’. It remains fully operational, hotels in the area are gradually reopening and the tram service to the terminal has been reinstated.
Image is a stock photo from Shutterstock
