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Evacuations and deadly fires
Greece faced multiple wildfires as authorities ordered evacuations, including a coastal evacuation in Boeotia where “almeno 500 persone” were taken by sea from Agios Vasileios toward Livadostrata after the city was surrounded by a blaze.
“Stando alla BBC, almeno 500 persone”
In Crete, firefighting continued as thousands of hectares burned and evacuations expanded, with the Corriere del Ticino reporting that “Nelle scorse ore sono state evacuate dall'isola circa 8 mila persone.”
The Times described how strong winds hampered firefighting efforts on Crete, noting that thousands of residents and tourists were evacuated on Thursday, July 30, with Chania and Heraklion airports operating as normal.
France 24 reported Greece ordered a partial evacuation of Haidari, a suburb west of Athens about 11 kilometres from central Athens, after a forest fire broke out on a nearby mountain and prompted an emergency alert.
Across the country, the sources tied the deadly conditions to wind and heat, with Corriere del Ticino adding that “ad oggi sono già morti tre pompieri” while crews battled fires on Crete.
Warnings, alerts, and voices
The UK Foreign Office guidance described a wildfire risk window from April to October and urged travelers to ensure their mobile phone is registered to receive emergency alerts, stating: “Ensure that your mobile phone is registered to receive emergency alerts to be warned of wildfires near your location.”
On the ground in Crete, Maria Lioni, vice governor of the Rethymno region, told state broadcaster Ert that “Abbiamo evacuato circa 8.000 persone,” as strong winds prevented the use of aircraft and shifted the burden to ground forces.
France 24 said gale-force winds were fanning the Haidari fire and hampering water-dropping aircraft, while Euronews reported that two messages were issued via the 112 emergency alert system, including a call for people in Afaia Haidariou and Ano Dasos Haidariou to move toward Peristeri via Athinon Avenue.
Euronews also reported that the Fire Service’s Operations Coordination Centre (ESKEDIK) received continuous imagery from a drone equipped with thermal and optical cameras during the operation.
In the wider coverage, the AP described how blazes flared elsewhere across Europe even as France allowed 84,000 evacuees to return home, and it quoted actor George Clooney saying he’d evacuated his French home because of a nearby wildfire.
What’s at stake next
The Times framed the stakes for travelers by warning that “Further fires cannot be ruled out” during the summer season, while also stating that the Foreign Office does not advise against travelling to Greece.
“Further fires cannot be ruled out”
In Greece itself, Corriere del Ticino reported that the Protezione Civile ordered preventive evacuation of part of a suburb west of Athens via a smartphone alert, and it said the area near Chaidari was about 11 km from Athens’ center.
France 24 tied the firefighting challenge to gale-force winds and limited aerial support, noting that “solo one helicopter” was able to take on water from the sea to fight the blaze.
Euronews said the area was classified as Category 4 for wildfire risk and that the Western Attica Arson Crimes Investigation Unit was activated to investigate the cause of the blaze.
Meanwhile, AP described broader European consequences, saying Romania shut down both reactors at its Cernavoda nuclear power plant due to low water levels in the Danube River used to cool them, as fires affected multiple countries.
