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Observer
a day ago
- Climate
- Observer
Greece wildfire rages on Crete
ATHENS: A wildfire fanned by gale-force winds on the southern Greek island of Crete has forced the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists, officials said on Thursday. Hot dry weather in Greece — not unusual for this time of year — has heightened the risk of a repeat of summer wildfires that have hit the country in recent years, while Turkey, although spared from the recent heatwaves that gripped southern Europe, has battled the effects of a long-term drought brought on by climate change. On Crete, about 5,000 people were evacuated in response to a blaze that broke out on Wednesday evening, the president of the regional hotels' association said on Thursday. Yorgos Tzarakis said about 3,000 tourists and 2,000 residents had been moved, mostly overnight, as a "precaution" from areas close to the Crete resort town of Ierapetra. Earlier, vice-prefect Yannis Androulakis told Greek broadcaster Mega confirmed "evacuations took place in numerous hotels and tourists were safely transferred to a closed gymnasium in the municipality of Ierapetra," in the southeast. The authorities acted because water bomber planes could not reach the affected areas overnight, he added. "At the moment, there are three active fronts," Androulakis said. "Because of the strong winds, the fire has progressed quite rapidly." Around 270 firefighters, 10 helicopters and drones have been deployed to tackle the blaze, said Vassilios Vathrakoyannis, a spokesman for the fire service. They include reinforcements sent in from the capital, Athens. "There are still a number of different fronts. The fire is burning scrubland and crops," he said. "The winds are very strong -- up to nine on the Beaufort scale." In Crete, Greece's largest island, the arid, uneven landscape criss-crossed by gullies, has made it difficult for firefighters to tackle the blaze. The fire damaged houses and crops in fruit and vegetable greenhouses, media reports said. Like the rest of Crete, Ierapetra — a seaside resort with a population of 23,000 — takes in thousands of tourists in the summer. The risk of fires was "considerable" in July, the hottest month of the year in Greece, Vathrakoyannis said. The country recorded its hottest-ever summer last year when 45,000 hectares of land was burned, according to WWF Greece and the Athens National Observatory. In terms of surface area destroyed, 2023 was the worst on record. Nearly 175,000 hectares were obliterated and 20 people died during heatwaves when temperatures rose in places to 46 degrees Celsius. — AFP
Al-Ahram Weekly
2 days ago
- Climate
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Hundreds evacuated as Greece wildfire rages on Crete - International
A wildfire fanned by gale-force winds on the southern Greek island of Crete has forced the evacuation of locals and tourists, officials said on Thursday. Greece is sweltering in a heatwave that is searing much of southern Europe. The country has become particularly vulnerable in recent years to summer wildfires, which are fuelled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change. Local media said around 1,500 people had to be evacuated because of the blaze, which broke out on Wednesday evening. "Evacuations took place in numerous hotels and tourists were safely transferred to a closed gymnasium in the municipality of Ierapetra," vice-prefect Yannis Androulakis told TV channel Mega, referring to the holiday town in the southeast. He said the authorities acted because water bomber planes could not reach the affected areas overnight. "At the moment, there are three active fronts," Androulakis said. "Because of the strong winds, the fire has progressed quite rapidly." Around 270 firefighters, 10 helicopters and drones have been deployed to tackle the blaze, said Vassilios Vathrakoyannis, a spokesman for the fire service. They include reinforcements sent in from the capital, Athens. "There are still a number of different fronts. The fire is burning scrubland and crops," he said. "The winds are very strong -- up to nine on the Beaufort scale." Uneven, arid terrain Crete, Greece's largest island, has an arid, uneven landscape criss-crossed by gullies, making it difficult for firefighters to tackle the blaze. The fire has damaged both houses and crops in fruit and vegetable greenhouses, local media said. Like the rest of Crete, Ierapetra -- a seaside resort with a population of 23,000 -- takes in thousands of tourists in the summer. Vathrakoyannis said the authorities would assess the extent of the damage once the fire had been brought under control. He stressed the risk of fires was "considerable" in July, the hottest month of the year in Greece. Until now, Greece had been more or less spared the heatwave that has gripped other parts of southern Europe. The country recorded its hottest ever summer last year when 45,000 hectares were torched, according to WWF Greece and the Athens National Observatory. In terms of surface area destroyed, 2023 was the worst on record. Nearly 175,000 hectares were obliterated and 20 people died during a series of prolonged heatwaves when temperatures rose in places to 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit). Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
France 24
2 days ago
- Climate
- France 24
Hundreds evacuated as Greece wildfire rages on Crete
Greece is sweltering in a heatwave that is searing much of southern Europe. The country has become particularly vulnerable in recent years to summer wildfires, which are fuelled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change. Local media said around 1,500 people had to be evacuated because of the blaze, which broke out on Wednesday evening. "Evacuations took place in numerous hotels and tourists were safely transferred to a closed gymnasium in the municipality of Ierapetra," vice-prefect Yannis Androulakis told TV channel Mega, referring to the holiday town in the southeast. He said the authorities acted because water bomber planes could not reach the affected areas overnight. "At the moment, there are three active fronts," Androulakis said. "Because of the strong winds, the fire has progressed quite rapidly." Around 270 firefighters, 10 helicopters and drones have been deployed to tackle the blaze, said Vassilios Vathrakoyannis, a spokesman for the fire service. They include reinforcements sent in from the capital, Athens. "There are still a number of different fronts. The fire is burning scrubland and crops," he said. "The winds are very strong -- up to nine on the Beaufort scale." - Uneven, arid terrain - Crete, Greece's largest island, has an arid, uneven landscape criss-crossed by gullies, making it difficult for firefighters to tackle the blaze. The fire has damaged both houses and crops in fruit and vegetable greenhouses, local media said. Like the rest of Crete, Ierapetra –- a seaside resort with a population of 23,000 -- takes in thousands of tourists in the summer. Vathrakoyannis said the authorities would assess the extent of the damage once the fire had been brought under control. He stressed the risk of fires was "considerable" in July, the hottest month of the year in Greece. Until now, Greece had been more or less spared the heatwave that has gripped other parts of southern Europe. The country recorded its hottest ever summer last year when 45,000 hectares were torched, according to WWF Greece and the Athens National Observatory. In terms of surface area destroyed, 2023 was the worst on record. Nearly 175,000 hectares were obliterated and 20 people died during a series of prolonged heatwaves when temperatures rose in places to 46 degrees Celsius (115 degrees Fahrenheit).
