Thousands of people have been evacuated on the Greek island of Crete as wildfires fanned by strong winds menace tourist resorts and villages, BBC reports.
Around 8,000 people were evacuated overnight in Rethymno, where gusts have reached 125km per hour. The evacuations came after two firefighters died on the island on Wednesday after getting trapped near Krya Vrysi, and a third died near the Peloponnese port town of Gytheio.
Greece is among many European countries facing devastating fires and droughts as the continent experiences extreme high temperatures. Forecasters warn fire-prone conditions will spread towards the centre of Europe this week, with Greece and Türkiye among places most affected. The blaze currently raging in Rethymno, in western Crete, broke out on Wednesday and is believed to have already destroyed a number of homes and agricultural land.
It is one of the biggest fires currently active on the island, with its front exceeding 15km (9.3 miles) and burning out of control.
There is no clear picture of the destruction so far, Rethymno's Deputy Regional Governor Maria Lioni said, adding that the fire was still burning and that containing it was the main priority. Lioni described Wednesday as a "dark day" for the region and said gusts overnight reached up to 11 on the Beaufort scale - a wind force which is categorised as "violent".
Despite firefighting efforts, strong winds are fanning flames and hampering containment operations - with local media reporting that firefighting aircraft have been unable to fly on Thursday morning. Some of those evacuated in Rethymno have been moved into a temporary shelter in a neighbouring municipality, Lioni said, adding provisions were also in place for tourists.
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