A firefighter has been left dead after horror wildfires have forced thousands of people to evacuate in both Greece & Turkey with one official warning ‘the real difficulties are ahead’
Destructive wildfires have swept through parts of Greece and Turkey forcing both tourists and locals to flee for their lives.
More than 1,500 people have been forced to evacuate in Turkey as horrifying blazes ravage a regions of the country. A firefighter has tragically died while desperately attempting to battle an inferno in the country’s fourth most populated city, Bursa in the northwest. Thousands of people have also been forced to flee as wildfires hit two major Greek islands and villages near Athens. Horrifying images in both countries have shown the aftermath of these blazing fires in sweltering conditions, as Greece also faces 45C heat.
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Fire services in Greece are battling huge blazes on Greece’s two largest islands. Emergency crews are working to stop a wildfire raging near the Crete’s largest city of Chania. This blaze started in two separate spots and quickly spread into a larger blaze, burning down two homes.
Another fire has also battered parts of Evia, north of Athens. At least 335 firefighters, 19 planes and 13 helicopters are involved, but can only operate in daylight.
Residents in the Triada region were put on alert for potential evacuation as wind conditions deteriorated. These terrifying conditions could get worse as the Greek meteorological service has forecasted that temperatures could soar to 44C on Saturday.
Fifty-two wildfires have broken out across Greece in the past 24 hours, fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyannis said. He added: “The real difficulties are ahead of us.”
Residents in Kryoneri, situated about 12 miles northeast of Athens, were also made to evacuate as they received three SMS alerts urging them to relocate to safer areas, while the nearby village of Drosopigi was shrouded in smoke. Explosions from nearby factories could also be heard as the fires reached sites storing combustible materials.
Residents and visitors in Turkey have also been seen dealing with horrifying flames engulfing mountains and quickly spreading in Bursa. The city’s governor office, in a statement, revealed that 1,765 people had been safely evacuated from villages to the northeast as more than 1,100 firefighters battle the flames.
One of these firefighters tragically died from a heat attack while battling the blaze, the city’s mayor Mustafa Bozbey said in a statement. The Mayor added that over 7,000 acres of land had been scorched by the fatal fire.
The inferno has also impacted travellers as a highway connecting the city to the capital Ankara was forced to close due to horror fires in the forests surrounding the major road. The country’s Forestry Minister, Ibrahim Yumakli, said fire crews have dealt with 76 separates blazes on Saturday.
Turkey, like Greece, has been hit with blistering hot weather conditions. Turkey recorded it’s hottest day ever on Friday with the Sirnak in the southeast, hitting a boiling 50.5C. Strong winds in both countries have helped the horror wildfires spread and have made rescue missions and putting the terrifying fires out even more difficult.
Wildfires are becoming an increasingly common and devastating issue in Greece, which is situated in what experts call a “wildfire hotspot” during the scorching and arid summer months.