A major wildfire at one of Greece’s most popular tourist destinations continues to burn out of control after breaking out on Wednesday afternoon.
The fire started in rugged forested terrain near the municipality of Ierapetra but following gale-force winds reaching up to eight on the Beaufort scale, the flames have now spread rapidly southward, threatening homes, tourist accommodation, and critical infrastructure.
Around 3000 residents have been evacuated and put up in temporary shelters after at least four settlements were ordered to flee on Greece’s biggest island.
The fire front now extends over at least 6km, according to emergency services, making containment increasingly difficult. Thick smoke engulfed the wider area, reducing visibility to near zero in places.
Greek broadcaster ERT has reported that firefighters are being ordered to retreat from the frontline in order to create fire breaks around key settlements in Crete.
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