Large wildfires have broken out on the Greek island of Chios, forcing authorities to evacuate residents from 16 settlements.
The rapid spread of the fire was caused by strong winds, which in a matter of hours carried the flames from forest areas to agricultural land, warehouses and areas close to residential buildings.
The fire started on Saturday morning in the central part of the island, but by evening it had reached the outskirts of populated areas.
The authorities urgently mobilised civil defence forces, fire brigades and volunteers. Ground crews and six aircraft, including firefighting planes and helicopters, were dispatched. Despite this, high air temperatures and strong winds are hampering efforts to control the fire.
Among the affected areas are farms, warehouses with agricultural products and olive groves. Dozens of hectares of land have been destroyed. According to preliminary data, there are no fatalities or serious injuries, but the damage to the region’s economy is already being described as significant.
According to local residents, the evacuation was carried out in a hurry, with people being warned by sirens and megaphones. Some did not have time to take their livestock and property with them.
“It’s a disaster. Everything burned down in an hour. We only heard crackling and screeching. Then the firefighters started shouting, and we ran,” one of the evacuees said.
Greek Minister of Citizen Protection Ioannis Varvitsiotis said that the country is facing extreme weather conditions and urged residents to follow the instructions of the rescue services. He noted that the situation in Chios is particularly alarming, given the proximity of the fire to residential areas.
Greece regularly experiences wildfires in the summer, but experts emphasise that in recent years, their intensity and speed of spread have been increasing. This is attributed to both climate change and insufficient infrastructure preparedness for such threats.
