A forest fire advancing on two tourist resorts on Greece's Halkidiki peninsula prompted the evacuation of dozens of visitors by sea on Wednesday, with 15 small boats brought into service to carry tourists — many still in bathing costumes and carrying children — away from the beaches, according to ERT public television.
Forest fire forces sea evacuation of tourists from Greek resort beaches
A forest fire advancing on two tourist resorts on Greece's Halkidiki peninsula prompted the evacuation of dozens of visitors by sea on Wednesday, with 15 small boats brought into service to carry tourists — many still in bathing costumes and carrying children — away from the beaches, according to ERT public television.
Almost 150 firefighters, water-bombing planes, and helicopters were deployed to fight the fire spreading across the Halkidiki peninsula, south of Thessaloniki, the Greek fire service said. Two firefighters were injured and taken to hospital.
ERT reported that a wall of flames approximately 3 kilometres long and up to 30 metres high was closing in on the resorts of Siviri and Fourka, which are heavily visited during the summer season. The surrounding region is dominated by pine forests, which the Halkidiki authorities had banned the public from entering. Images broadcast by ERT showed dozens of people queuing on a pontoon to board evacuation boats as smoke obscured the sky. Traffic jams formed on roads leading out of both resorts.
Sophia, a homeowner in the area who gave only her first name, told AFP by telephone: 'We are on the beach and looking for a way to get away. From where we are, we can see that flames have reached the town and the houses.' Firefighters said strong winds were hampering their efforts.
Greek authorities had issued a maximum level-five fire alert for much of the Greek mainland. Weather forecasters predicted winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour on August 14.
Earlier in August, two crew members died when a helicopter assisting in fighting a separate forest fire near Athens collided mid-air with another aircraft. That fire destroyed 110 square kilometres of forest. Greece experiences damaging wildfires annually, and experts say human-driven climate change is increasing the risk by intensifying droughts and other extreme weather conditions.
- The source does not state the total number of tourists evacuated by sea.
- The source does not state the current size or precise location of the Halkidiki fire at time of publication.
- The source does not state whether any civilian casualties or structural damage have been confirmed from the Halkidiki fire.
- The source does not state how the fire started or who, if anyone, is being held responsible.
- The source does not identify the experts cited regarding climate change and wildfire risk.
- The source does not state the date on which the evacuation took place beyond contextual reference to August 14 for forecast winds.
Read the original at The Straits Times