Latest news with #VassiliosVathrakoyannis
RTÉ News
10 hours ago
- Climate
- RTÉ News
Wildfire on Greek island of Crete 'retreating'
A wildfire on the Greek island of Crete that forced the evacuation of 5,000 tourists and locals is "retreating", firefighters have said. Some 230 firefighters and six helicopters are still at the scene near the resort town of Ierapetra, where 3,000 visitors had to leave their hotels and guest houses on Wednesday evening. "The fire is retreating," fire department spokesman Vassilios Vathrakoyannis told AFP. "There are still fears of flare-ups, but there is no longer a major front," he added. Scattered hot spots still remain and firefighters are dealing with several smoke-filled areas from which flare-ups have restarted, the fire department told the ANA press agency. However, weakening winds in the hard-to-reach area have improved the situation, firefighters said. Another blaze fanned by strong winds that broke out near the port of Rafina, about 30km east of Athens, was brought under control yesterday evening, the authorities said. However with the wildfire not far from Athens International Airport, fire crews remain on alert with winds still strong. The fire, which led to the evacuation of 300 people, destroyed a few houses and vehicles, the local mayor Dimitris Markou told public broadcaster ERT. It also disrupted ferries to and from tourist islands in the western Aegean, including Mykonos. Greece has so far been spared from the heatwave roasting parts of Europe, particularly Spain, Portugal and France. But starting this weekend, temperatures will rise and reach up to 43C in some areas of the country. Hot dry weather is not unusual for Greece at this time of year, with the heightened risk of devastating wildfires that have plagued the country in recent years.
Al Arabiya
10 hours ago
- Climate
- Al Arabiya
Crete wildfire ‘retreating,' say Greek firefighters
A wildfire on the Greek island of Crete that forced the evacuation of 5,000 tourists and locals is 'retreating,' firefighters told AFP on Friday. Some 230 firefighters and six helicopters are still at the scene near the resort town of Ierapetra, where 3,000 visitors had to leave their hotels and guest houses on Wednesday evening. 'The fire is retreating,' fire department spokesperson Vassilios Vathrakoyannis told AFP. 'There are still fears of flare-ups, but there is no longer a major front,' he added. Scattered hot spots still remain, and firefighters are dealing with several smoke-filled areas from which flare-ups have restarted, the fire department told the ANA press agency. However, weakening winds in the hard-to-reach area have improved the situation, firefighters said. Another blaze, fanned by strong winds, that broke out near the port of Rafina — about 30 kilometers (18 miles) east of Athens — was brought under control on Thursday evening, authorities said. However, with the wildfire not far from Athens International Airport, fire crews remain on alert as winds remain strong. The fire, which led to the evacuation of 300 people, destroyed a few houses and vehicles, local mayor Dimitris Markou told public broadcaster ERT. It also disrupted ferries to and from tourist islands in the western Aegean, including Mykonos. Greece has so far been spared from the heatwave roasting parts of Europe — particularly Spain, Portugal, and France. But starting this weekend, temperatures will rise and reach up to 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas of the country. Hot, dry weather is not unusual for Greece at this time of year, with the heightened risk of devastating wildfires that have plagued the country in recent years.
Sharjah 24
10 hours ago
- Climate
- Sharjah 24
Greek firefighters report progress in containing Crete wildfire
Firefighting efforts Some 230 firefighters and six helicopters remain at the scene near the resort town of Ierapetra, where 3,000 visitors had to leave their hotels and guest houses on Wednesday evening. "The fire is retreating," fire department spokesman Vassilios Vathrakoyannis said. "There are still fears of flare-ups, but there is no longer a major front," he added. Scattered hot spots still remain, and firefighters are dealing with several smoke-filled areas from which flare-ups have restarted, the fire department informed the ANA press agency. Weather conditions However, weakening winds in the hard-to-reach area have improved the situation, firefighters said. Another blaze, fanned by strong winds, broke out near the port of Rafina, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) east of Athens, and was brought under control on Thursday evening, the authorities reported. Despite the wildfire not far from Athens International Airport, fire crews remain on alert due to still strong winds. Impact of the fires The fire, which led to the evacuation of 300 people, destroyed a few houses and vehicles, local mayor Dimitris Markou told public broadcaster ERT. It also disrupted ferries to and from tourist islands in the western Aegean, including Mykonos. Upcoming weather forecast Greece has so far been spared from the heatwave roasting parts of Europe, particularly Spain, Portugal, and France. However, starting this weekend, temperatures are expected to rise and reach up to 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas of the country. Hot, dry weather is not unusual for Greece at this time of year, contributing to the heightened risk of devastating wildfires that have plagued the country in recent years.
Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Straits Times
Crete wildfire 'retreating', say Greek firefighters
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox About 230 firefighters and six helicopters are still at the scene, as fears of flare-ups persist. ATHENS - A wildfire on the Greek island of Crete that forced the evacuation of 5,000 tourists and locals is 'retreating', firefighters told AFP on July 4. Some 230 firefighters and six helicopters are still at the scene near the resort town of Ierapetra, where 3,000 visitors had to leave their hotels and guest houses on the evening of July 2. 'The fire is retreating,' fire department spokesman Vassilios Vathrakoyannis told AFP. 'There are still fears of flare-ups, but there is no longer a major front,' he added. Scattered hot spots still remain and firefighters are dealing with several smoke-filled areas from which flare-ups have restarted, the fire department told the ANA press agency. However, weakening winds in the hard-to-reach area have improved the situation, firefighters said. Another blaze fanned by strong winds that broke out near the port of Rafina, about 30km east of Athens, was brought under control on the evening of July 3, the authorities said. However with the wildfire not far from Athens International Airport, fire crews remain on alert with winds still strong. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump says countries to start paying tariffs on Aug 1, floats range of 10% to 70% Singapore Sengkang murder: Man accused of killing elderly mother escorted back to crime scene Singapore Multiple charges for man accused of damaging PAP campaign materials on GE2025 Polling Day Singapore Jail for man who recruited 2 Japanese women for prostitution at MBS Asia Malaysia dismantles ISIS network involving workers from Bangladesh Asia Chinese national missing in Thailand rescued, embassy warns of shady job offers Business Central banks tweak US dollar reserves, with euro and gold gaining ground: UBS survey Singapore Seller's stamp duty rates for private homes raised; holding period increased from 3 years to 4 The fire, which led to the evacuation of 300 people, destroyed a few houses and vehicles, the local mayor Dimitris Markou told public broadcaster ERT. It also disrupted ferries to and from tourist islands in the western Aegean, including Mykonos. Greece has so far been spared from the heatwave roasting parts of Europe , particularly Spain, Portugal and France. But starting this weekend, temperatures will rise and reach up to 43 degrees C in some areas of the country. Hot dry weather is not unusual for Greece at this time of year, with the heightened risk of devastating wildfires that have plagued the country in recent years. AFP
CNA
a day ago
- Climate
- CNA
Hundreds evacuated as 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 residents and tourists, officials said on Thursday (Jul 3). Hot, dry weather in Greece, which is not unusual for this time of year, has heightened the risk of a repeat of the summer wildfires that have hit the country in recent years. Media reports 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. 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." 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 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. Vathrakoyannis said the authorities would assess the damage once the fire had been brought under control. The risk of fires was "considerable" in July, the hottest month of the year in Greece, he added. Greece has largely escaped a heatwave that has gripped other parts of southern Europe. The country recorded its hottest-ever summer last year when 45,000ha of land were burned, according to WWF Greece and the Athens National Observatory. In terms of surface area destroyed, 2023 was the worst on record.
