Evacuations as wildfire rages on Greek island of Crete
The fire department said 230 firefighters backed up by 10 water-dropping aircraft were battling the flames, which have burned through forest and farmland in the Ierapetra area on the island's southern coast.
Two people were evacuated by boat overnight, while six private boats were on standby in case further evacuations by sea became necessary, the coast guard said.
Homes were reported to have been damaged as flames swept through hillside forests, fanned by strong winds.
"It's a very difficult situation. The fire is very hard to contain. Right now, they cannot contain it," Nektarios Papadakis, a civil protection official at the regional authority, told The Associated Press on Thursday.
"The tourists who were moved out are all OK. They have been taken to an indoor basketball arena and hotels in other regions of the island," he said.
As fires crested ridge lines and edged toward residential areas, the blaze sent clouds of ash into the night sky, illuminated by the headlights of emergency vehicles and water trucks that lined the coastal road near the resorts of Ferma and Achlia on the southeast of Crete.
Several people were treated for breathing difficulties, officials said, but there were no immediate reports of serious injuries.
Crete is one of Greece's most popular tourist destinations.
The risk of wildfires remained very high across Crete and parts of southern Greece on Thursday, according to a daily bulletin issued by the fire service.
Wildfires are frequent in the country during its hot, dry summers, and the fire department has already tackled dozens across Greece so far in 2025.
In 2018, a massive fire swept through the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens, trapping people in their homes and on roads as they tried to flee.
More than 100 died, including some who drowned while trying to swim away from the flames.
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