A massive wildfire is wreaking havoc on Crete, Greece’s largest island and a magnet for tourists, forcing mass evacuations as firefighters struggle to gain control amid extreme weather conditions.
The blaze ignited on Wednesday afternoon near the southeastern coastal town of Ierapetra.
According to officials, a combination of searing temperatures, between 3 to 5 degrees Celsius (5.4 to 9 Fahrenheit) above normal — and violent winds reaching 50 miles per hour have fueled the flames’ rapid advance.
“These conditions are creating new outbreaks, making firefighting work very difficult,” said Chief Vasilios Vathrakoyannis, spokesperson for the Fire Department, in a statement released Thursday.
In response, authorities have deployed more than 230 firefighters, backed by 46 fire engines and 10 helicopters. Despite these efforts, the fire has already reached residential homes, hotels, and tourist lodgings, prompting the evacuation of four settlements.
Approximately 1,500 people have been safely evacuated so far, the Greek public broadcaster ERT reported. The municipality of Ierapetra has turned an indoor sports training center into a temporary shelter for displaced residents and holidaymakers, many of whom spent Wednesday night there.
Images show fierce flames near Ierapetra’s port, and hotel guests hurrying to safety as the fire approached.
Local emergency services, including the police, coast guard, and medical teams, have mobilized to assist.
“We are entering the third and most difficult month of the fire season,” Vathrakoyannis warned. He noted that July, typically Greece’s hottest month, often comes with strong winds, a combination that “favor[s] the spread of fires and increase[s] their danger.”
The unfolding crisis in Crete mirrors a broader climate emergency across Europe this week, with devastating wildfires tearing through parts of Turkey, France, and Spain.
In Turkey, tens of thousands of residents were evacuated from fire-ravaged regions in Izmir, Manisa, and Hatay provinces, with nearly 200 homes damaged. Spain and France also reported outbreaks, with Spain recording two fatalities.
Though wildfires are a seasonal occurrence in Europe, experts say they are becoming increasingly severe and frequent, a consequence of human-driven climate change that intensifies heatwaves and drought, conditions ripe for destructive infernos.
