Firefighters race to contain wildfires in Greece as thousands evacuated
More than 5,000 tourists, hotel workers and residents were evacuated from the Ierapetra area along Crete's southern coast, authorities and hotel association officials said. A small number of people fled into the sea and were rescued by local fishermen and divers.
Advertisement
Ierapetra mayor Manolis Frangoulis said firefighters were working to prevent flare-ups before nightfall, when water-dropping helicopters are grounded.
Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze on the south coast of Crete (InTime News via AP)
'The fire has receded a little, but if the wind hits the flames again, we'll have new fires and the catastrophe will continue,' he said.
Several homes and businesses were damaged. Displaced tourists were relocated to other hotels or spent the night in an indoor basketball stadium.
Separately on Thursday, authorities ordered precautionary evacuations due to a wildfire near the port of Rafina, about 18 miles east of Athens.
Advertisement
A house lies among scorched trees near the town of Ierapetra on Crete (InTime News via AP)
In western Turkey, firefighters discovered the body of an 81-year-old man after extinguishing a blaze near a village, marking the first fatality in a series of wildfires that have forced thousands to flee. Officials said the man died from smoke inhalation near the town of Odemis.
A total of 37 other villagers were safely evacuated by security forces and emergency teams. Meanwhile, hundreds of firefighters, supported by aircraft and helicopters, were deployed to battle a wildfire near the Aegean coastal town of Cesme, a popular holiday destination about 120 miles west of Odemis.
That fire, which began on Wednesday, forced the evacuation of three neighbourhoods and led to road closures. Television footage showed flames racing through dry vegetation on both sides of a road.
Over the past week, Turkey has battled hundreds of wildfires fuelled by strong winds, extreme heat and low humidity. Now mostly under control, the blazes have damaged or destroyed about 200 homes.
Advertisement
A fire rages across a forest area in Cesme, near Izmir (Cengiz Malgir/Dia Photo via AP)
Summer wildfires are common in both Greece and Turkey, where experts warn that climate change is intensifying conditions.
Late Wednesday, Turkey's parliament adopted a landmark climate law targeting net-zero emissions by 2053. The legislation includes measures to establish a carbon market board to oversee efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The law comes at a time when Turkey is increasingly grappling with issues related to climate change, from searing heatwaves to prolonged droughts, experts say.
'As a Mediterranean country, Turkey is highly vulnerable to climate change,' said Gizem Koc, a lawyer with the UK-based environmental advocacy group ClientEarth.
Advertisement
'The most striking vulnerability is the drought and water stress in some regions, but also there is increasing frequency of floods and other extreme weather events.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Crete wildfire forces 5,000 to evacuate as Europe heatwave continues
A wildfire fanned by gale-force winds has forced the evacuation of about 5,000 people on the Greek island of Crete, authorities and hotel association officials have said, as large swathes of continental Europe baked in a punishing early summer heatwave linked to at least nine deaths. About 230 firefighters, along with 46 fire service vehicles and helicopters, were battling the blaze on Thursday after it broke out 24 hours earlier near Ierapetra, on the south-east coast of the island – the country's largest – threatening to engulf houses and hotels. A fire brigade spokesperson, Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, said: 'There are wind gusts in the area, some measuring nine on the Beaufort scale, triggering rekindling and hindering firefighting efforts.' He added that four settlements had been evacuated. The president of the regional hotels' association, Yorgos Tzarakis, said about 3,000 tourists and 2,000 residents had been moved, mostly overnight, as a precaution. A small number of people fled into the sea and were rescued by local fishermen and divers. Residents and tourists were taking shelter at an indoor stadium and some had left Crete by boat, authorities said. Local media reported some homes had been damaged. An estimated 5,000 more holidaymakers left south-east Crete independently. Ierapetra's mayor, Manolis Frangoulis, said firefighters were working to prevent flare-ups during a lull in high winds. 'Thankfully no one was hurt but it's a difficult situation,' he said. Like the rest of Crete, Ierapetra – a seaside resort with a permanent population of 23,000 – accommodates thousands of tourists in the summer. The island's arid, uneven landscape, criss-crossed by gullies, makes it hard for firefighters to tackle blazes. A separate fire was raging in the Halkidiki region of Greece, with 160 firefighters and 49 vehicles involved in the emergency response. In Turkey, thousands of people fled blazes in Cesme and Ödemiş in the western coastal province of İzmir. An elderly man died in the blaze near Ödemis, about 60 miles east of the city of İzmir, in one of three villages evacuated in the area. 'The village was evacuated but an elderly, bedridden patient could not be saved,' a local MP told Turkish TV. Vathrakogiannis said the risk of destructive wildfires remained 'very considerable' in July, the hottest month of the year in Greece, although the country had largely escaped the heatwave still gripping other parts of southern and central Europe. Nearly 500 firefighters were battling wildfires in eastern Germany that severely injured two emergency workers and forced the evacuation of more than 100 people near Gohrischheide, on the border between the states of Saxony and Brandenburg. The blazes had burned through hundreds of hectares of heathland and were still not under control on Thursday, with firefighters unable to tackle outbreaks on a former military training area with unexploded ammunition. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion The worst of the weather appeared to be over in France, with the south-east the last area expected to record temperatures of up to 36C, but parts of Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia and Spain were all forecast to hit the mid-30s on Thursday. Italian authorities issued red alerts – meaning that the heat is so intense it poses a risk not just to the sick and elderly but the young and fit too – for 18 cities, including Bologna, Genoa, Milan, Palermo, Rome and Turin. Officials in Rome said temporary blackouts were possible as power consumption by air-conditioners surged. At least five people have died in the heatwave in Italy, including two, aged 75 and 60, on beaches in Sardinia. Temperatures on the island, where wildfires have been raging, have exceeded 40C in recent days. In Genoa, an 85-year-old man died of heart failure in hospital. A 47-year-old construction worker died near Bologna and a 53-year-old woman died in Palermo. A measure halting outdoor work, for example, on construction sites and farms, during the hottest part of the day has taken effect nationwide, although it is not an obligation and many people are continuing to work their normal hours. In Spain, the media reported that the two victims of a wildfire that consumed more than 5,500 hectares of mostly agricultural land in Torrefeta i Florejacs in Lleida province were aged 32 and 45, and had died of smoke inhalation. Temperatures in central Albania reached 40C on Thursday, and with little rain expected until September fears are rising for local agricultural output. Serbia's state meteorological institute also warned 'extreme drought' was affecting crops. Scientists have said Europe's heatwaves have arrived earlier than usual this year, with temperatures surging by up to 10C in some regions as warming seas encourage the formation of a 'heat dome' over much of the land mass, trapping hot air.
Powys County Times
5 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Firefighters race to contain wildfires in Greece as thousands evacuated
Firefighters have been racing to contain wildfires that forced thousands to flee holiday resorts on the southern Greek island of Crete, while neighbouring Turkey grappled with its own deadly blazes that claimed at least two lives. More than 5,000 tourists, hotel workers and residents were evacuated from the Ierapetra area along Crete's southern coast, authorities and hotel association officials said. A small number of people fled into the sea and were rescued by local fishermen and divers. Ierapetra mayor Manolis Frangoulis said firefighters were working to prevent flare-ups and take advantage of a lull in high winds. 'Thankfully no one was hurt but it's a difficult situation,' he said. Displaced tourists were relocated to other hotels or spent the night in an indoor basketball stadium. Several homes and businesses were damaged. Separately on Thursday, a wildfire near the port of Rafina, about 20 miles east of Athens, disrupted local ferry services to the islands. Police went door-to-door to assist elderly residents while carrying out an evacuation order. In western Turkey, a local forestry worker was killed while trying to contain a fire near the town of Odemis, and an 81-year-old resident died from smoke inhalation, authorities said. It marked the first fatalities in a series of wildfires that have forced thousands to flee. Meanwhile, hundreds of firefighters, supported by aircraft and helicopters, were deployed to battle a wildfire near the Aegean coastal town of Cesme, a popular holiday destination about 120 miles west of Odemis. That fire, which began on Wednesday, forced the evacuation of three neighbourhoods and led to road closures. Television footage showed flames racing through dry vegetation on both sides of a major road. Over the past week, Turkey has battled hundreds of wildfires fuelled by strong winds, extreme heat and low humidity. Now mostly under control, the blazes have damaged or destroyed about 200 homes. Summer wildfires are common in both Greece and Turkey, where experts warn that climate change is intensifying conditions. Late Wednesday, Turkey's parliament adopted a landmark climate law targeting net-zero emissions by 2053. The legislation includes measures to establish a carbon market board to oversee efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The law comes at a time when Turkey is increasingly grappling with issues related to climate change, from searing heatwaves to prolonged droughts, experts say. 'As a Mediterranean country, Turkey is highly vulnerable to climate change,' said Gizem Koc, a lawyer with the UK-based environmental advocacy group ClientEarth. 'The most striking vulnerability is the drought and water stress in some regions, but also there is increasing frequency of floods and other extreme weather events.'
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Elephant kills two tourists on safari
Two elderly tourists, one British and one New Zealander, have died after being attacked by an elephant during a walking safari in Zambia. The victims were identified as 68-year-old Easton Janet Taylor from the UK and 67-year-old Alison Jean Taylor from New Zealand. The incident occurred in South Luangwa National Park when a female elephant, accompanied by its calf, charged the women. Safari guides attempted to deter the animal by firing shots, wounding the elephant, but were unable to prevent the fatal attack, with both women dying at the scene. This tragedy follows two separate incidents last year in Zambia where elderly American women were also killed by elephants while on safari.
