US EditionWildfire on Greek Island of Crete 'Retreating'
CRETE, GREECE, JUL 4 – Firefighters contained the wildfire near Ierapetra after evacuating 5,000 people as hot, dry weather and strong winds fueled multiple fires across southern Europe, officials said.
- On Wednesday, a wildfire near Ierapetra on Crete prompted the evacuation of 5,000 tourists and locals, with emergency services reporting the blaze is 'retreating'.
- Following the Crete wildfire, experts cite an early summer heatwave across Europe, dubbed a 'wildfire hotspot' by scientists, with low humidity and climate change increasing fire risk.
- Around 130–230 firefighters, 48 vehicles, and six helicopters are deployed, battling wildfires that have destroyed farmland, scorched farmhouses, and caused evacuations in Crete.
- Most of the 3,500 evacuees are returning, ferry disruptions persist to Mykonos, raising concerns among hoteliers about future bookings.
- Forecasts predict temperatures up to 43°C this weekend, prompting aid groups to urge proactive preparedness amid ongoing fire risks across Greece and Europe.
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19 Articles
Greece Battles Wildfire on Crete for a Third Day as Temperatures Rise
ATHENS, July 4 (Reuters) – Gale force wind gusts complicated efforts on Friday to contain wildfires on Crete that have razed forests and olive groves and forced thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate.
A Czech tourist describes how they were evacuated from the southeast of Crete, Greece. The fires are now being brought under control.
Crete wildfire: Swaths of forest, olive groves burn on Greek...
Hundreds of firefighters battled a blaze on Crete island, Greece, on Thursday, which burned swathes of forest and olive groves and forced the evacuation of over a thousand people, officials said, underscoring the region's vulnerability to destructive wildfires. At least 230 firefighters, along with 46 engines and helicopters, were deployed to contain the conflagration, which broke out a day earlier near Ierapetra town on the southeastern coast o…
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