By Euronews with AP, Cretalive, ERT News
Published on •Updated
Firefighters are battling a wildfire on the south coast of Crete which has prompted the evacuation of hotels and homes.
Residents have called the fire, which caused three evacuation orders outside the port of Ierapetra, a “complete disaster”.
Strong winds have made the firefighters’ task especially difficult, with the flames to sweep through hillside forests.
The areas of Ferma, Agia Fotia and Koutsounari have been badly affected, according to local media. In Agia Fotia, residents described the destruction as “biblical”, saying the fire destroyed everything in its path.
An emergency alert had been sent around on Wednesday evening, leading to the evacuation of the aforementioned areas. Evacuation orders were also issued for the villages of Achlia and Galini.
Evacuations of houses and hotels continued throughout the night, while people who had taken refuge on the beach were evacuated by boat.
There have been no casualties at the time of writing, though some people were reportedly taken to hospital with respiratory problems.
“It’s a very difficult situation. The fire is very hard to contain. Right now, they cannot contain it,” said Nektarios Papadakis, a civil protection official at the regional authority.
The fire department said 230 firefighters backed by 10 water-dropping aircraft.
Crete is one of Greece’s most popular tourist destinations, and the risk of wildfires remains high on the island as well as in other parts of southern Greece.
