Wildfire in southern Crete forces over 1,500 to evacuate homes and hotels

A fierce wildfire in southern Crete has led to the evacuation of more than 1,500 people from their homes and hotels. The fire, fueled by strong winds, started near the village of Achlia and spread rapidly through forests and farmland. Firefighters are battling the blaze with the help of aircraft and boats for evacuations.

Jul 3, 2025 - 21:42
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Wildfire in southern Crete forces over 1,500 to evacuate homes and hotels

A fierce wildfire driven by gale-force winds has torn through southern Crete, forcing the evacuation of more than 1,500 people from homes and hotels. The blaze started near the village of Achlia in the Ierapetra area of the Greek island's southern coast and spread across forests and farmland overnight into Thursday. Crews fought the flames with 230 firefighters and 10 aircraft dropping water from above.

Some residents were evacuated by boat, and the coast guard had six vessels on standby for sea rescues. Several homes were damaged as the fire surged through hillside forests, fueled by strong winds. Evacuated tourists were taken to a nearby basketball arena and hotels in safer areas of the island, while mobile phone alerts urged residents to leave immediately and not return to defend their homes.

As the fire neared residential areas, clouds of ash filled the sky, and emergency vehicles lined roads near the resorts of Ferma and Achlia. Several people were treated for breathing problems, but no serious injuries have been reported. Wildfires are common during Greece's hot, dry summers, and the fire risk remains high across Crete and southern Greece, according to the fire service.

The disaster brings back memories of the deadly 2018 wildfire in Mati near Athens, where over 100 people lost their lives, many trapped in homes or forced into the sea to escape the flames.

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