Hundreds of holidaymakers have been evacuated from hotels in popular tourist areas due to dozens of Greece wildfires, BBC News reports 26 April.
The website states that around 700 firefighters have been deployed around the country to deal with the wildfires that have spread due to strong winds and hot temperatures.
The island of Samos is one of the worst hit with a reported 1,000 residents and tourists evacuated from easterly beaches, reports ANA, the Greek news agency. Coastguards collected people from Proteas and Glykoriza beaches.
Fortunately, the local fire department reported 26 August that the fire had been contained.
Although wildfires in Greece are a common during the summer months, Greece’s head of civil protection has warned of the “high risk” of fires igniting in several tourist areas, including popular holiday island Crete.
In a separate incident, Greek newspaper Ekathimerini reports two people have been arrested for deliberately starting fires in the Peloponnese.
Earlier in August, wildfires ripped through a pine forest on Evia island in what has been called a “huge ecological disaster” by Kostas Bakoyannis, acting regional governor, according to AFP news agency. Other wildfires have been reported on Thassos island, as well as Viotia in the centre of the country and the Peloponnese.
In 2018, wildfires in Greece devastated the country destroying pine forests around Athens and killing 100 people.
Greece is not alone in being devastated by wildfires. Earlier this month, 9,000 people were evacuated from a fire in Gran Canaria.
The wildfires across Europe are occurring while the G7 debates what measures can be taken to counter the Amazon fires in Brazil, amid fears of its contribution to climate change.
If you are in any of the areas affected by Greece wildfires, please share your experiences by emailing us at [email protected]. If you have a holiday booked for Greece, we suggest that you check the status of the area to which you are travelling.
