A forest fire broke out on Lesvos in the morning and threatened residents and tourists in the seaside resort of Vatera. Firefighters and Coast Guard bring hundreds of people to safety – some with boats. Meanwhile, fires in mainland Greece are destroying one of the largest forested areas in south-eastern Europe.
Heat and fires continue to make life difficult for people in Greece. A major fire destroyed the forest of Dadia National Park, one of the largest forested areas in south-eastern Europe. A second major fire raged on the south side of the holiday island of Lesvos. A popular bathing spot was cleared there. Two hotels and more than 90 houses were evacuated in the coastal town of Vatera, police said. A total of 450 people were brought to safety.
The Coast Guard had previously said it had evacuated the beach, bringing nine people, including five foreigners, to safety. Because of the heavy smoke, residents of Vatera sought refuge on the beaches. Coast Guard boat crews then took them to safety, state television reported. At least two houses in Vatera were destroyed in the fire, according to information from the state TV broadcaster ERT. Firefighters used nine planes and one helicopter to fight the blaze.
The fire broke out at 10 am local time and spread towards the villages of Vrisa and Vatera. The mayor of western Lesvos, Taxiarchis Verros, ordered the evacuation as a precautionary measure, according to information from the ANA news agency.
The situation in the nature reserve of Dadia in north-eastern Greece is still difficult. The flames destroyed a biotope where numerous birds of prey and wild animals live. The area is densely forested and there are hardly any roads. For this reason, the fire brigade is trying to contain the flames from the air with firefighting planes and helicopters, a spokesman for the fire brigade said in the afternoon.
Most of Greece’s 86 fire-fighting planes and helicopters are fighting the flames, according to civil defense. Smaller fires were raging in the Peloponnese peninsula, Greek state radio reported.
Drought and high temperatures would hit almost all parts of Greece in the coming days and create “the perfect backdrop” for further fires, meteorologists warned on the radio. Temperatures in central Greece were already around 38 degrees early on Saturday morning. It should be even hotter at the beginning of next week, and the heat will last until the beginning of August, it said.
The forest fires in Europe have already destroyed more area this year than in all of 2021. According to the European Forest Fire Information System (Effis), 517,881 hectares have been burned in the European Union since the beginning of the year, i.e. a little more than 5000 square kilometers. The scorched area is about twice the size of Saarland. Heavy forest fires are also currently raging in the western United States.
A rapidly spreading fire in the US state of California threatens more than 1,300 buildings. The so-called Oak Fire broke out on Friday afternoon (local time) in the district of Mariposa and within a few hours it spread over an area of ??more than 17 square kilometers, the responsible authority Calfire said last night. Residents in the affected area southwest of Yosemite National Park have been asked to get to safety.
More than 380 emergency services fought the flames with 43 fire engines and four helicopters. The cause of the fire is so far unclear. The rapid spread was due to “high temperatures, low humidity and extremely dry combustible material,” Calfire spokesman Robert Foxworthy said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper.
There is therefore no all-clear for the weekend: Very hot and dry winds are expected on Saturday morning, said Foxworthy. The southwestern United States has been suffering from several forest fires for weeks, which the authorities say are favored by the persistent drought.
