Thousands evacuated as Greek, Turkish wildfires rage

Officials on the southern Greek island of Crete evacuated thousands of people from wildfires, while two people died in neighbouring Türkiye as fires took hold in the western province of Izmir on Thursday. About 30 kilometres east of Athens, another fire broke out near the port of Rafina on Thursday afternoon, local officials said.

Hot dry weather in Greece, not unusual for this time of year, has heightened the risk of a repeat of the summer wildfires that have hit the country in recent years. Türkiye, although spared the recent heatwaves that gripped southern Europe, has battled the effects of a long-term drought likely brought on by climate change.

Fire service spokesman said that around 170 firefighters, 17 firefighting planes, 48 fire engines and seven helicopters were fighting the blaze near Athens. Firefighters had evacuated 300 people and rescued 51, he added. The country recorded its hottest-ever summer in 2024, when 45,000 hectares of land burned, according to WWF Greece and the Athens National Observatory.