Greek Wildfire Forces Sea Evacuations in Viotia

A Greek wildfire near Agios Vasileios forced hundreds of people out by sea on Friday as strong winds pushed flames through central Greece and trapped tourists and residents in the coastal town. The Greek wildfire spread quickly in the Viotia area, leaving about 500 people stranded before emergency crews moved to evacuate them by boat.

Local media reported that more than 200 people had already been taken out, while another 100 were due to leave by sea. Emergency workers were still working to remove everyone remaining in the town safely. Authorities had earlier told people to move farther inland before the fire reached the edge of Agios Vasileios.

A second fire broke out farther along the coast and burned through farmland before reaching the rural town of Xironomi. At the same time, firefighters on Crete were still battling a separate wildfire that has left thousands of hectares scorched and prompted the temporary evacuation of 8,000 people. Fires have also broken out on the islands of Paros, Andros and Kalymnos.

The central Greece area where the two fires started was already seen as especially vulnerable because high winds were making firefighting harder. The conditions have added to a wider crisis across Europe, where repeated heatwaves have created the dry and dangerous landscape that helps wildfires spread fast and burn longer.

Greece is only one part of the problem. In Spain and Portugal, firefighters are still battling major blazes across huge stretches of land. European Union data shows Spain has already lost more than 200,000 hectares this year, far above its usual pace for this point in the year, while Portugal’s burned area is also running higher than normal.