Due to large-scale forest fires on the island of Crete, Greece, over 5,000 people have been evacuated to safe areas. This was reported by Zamon.uz’ here.
The government declared the situation “very serious” due to the fire spreading in several directions simultaneously and being exacerbated by strong winds making it harder to control.
The fire began near the coastal town of Almi on July 3 and quickly expanded westward. According to Nektarios Papadakis, vice-mayor of Ierapetra, the fire reached some houses and caused significant damage to forests and olive groves.
At least four people have been hospitalized, some of whom tried to stay in their homes.
In the town of Fotià, two individuals were rescued from a beach surrounded by fire, with the help of a private boat and coast guard services.
Additionally, a forest fire broke out in the city of Rafina, located 20 km away from Athens, where 1,200 people were evacuated, five houses burned down, and even the capital's airport runway was temporarily closed.
The meteorological service warned today — July 4 — of an extremely high risk of fire in the regions of Attica, Crete, Evia, Peloponnese, and the Northern Aegean.
Emergency services have been instructed by the Civil Protection Secretariat to increase alertness.
So far in Crete, more than 160 firefighters and 49 pieces of equipment have been deployed.
