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Thousands of people have been evacuated from homes and tourist resorts in Crete as a wildfire tears through forests on the Greek holiday island.
The Greek fire department said that more than 230 firefighters are continuing to battle the blaze, which broke out on Wednesday afternoon in the forested hills near Lerapetra on the island’s southern coast.
At least 5,000 people were evacuated from Ierapetra, southeastern Crete, by Thursday, as 50mph winds spread the blaze across the region.
Several people were treated for breathing difficulties, officials said, but there were no immediate reports of serious injuries.
The government issued mobile phone alerts for the evacuations and appealed to residents not to return to try to save their property.
The risk of wildfires remains very high across Crete and parts of southern Greece on Thursday, according to a daily bulletin issued by the fire service.
Wildfires are frequent in the country during its hot, dry summers, and the fire department has already tackled dozens across Greece so far this year.
The fires broke out on Wednesday afternoon in the forested hills near Ierapetra, where dense, flammable vegetation was set alight and spread quickly due to gusty winds.
Just before 3pm on Wednesday, Greece’s emergency services warned of an active forest fire in Crete. It told those in the areas of Agia Fotia, Achlia, Galini and Ferma to move away and evacuate towards Ierapetra, following the instructions of the authorities.
Just after 6pm, it also advised the same of those in Koutsounari.
Authorities have shut off roads near the fire zone, telling residents and tourists to avoid non-essential travel due to the hazardous air quality, falling ash and harsh heat.
The strong winds have sent the flames southward stretching more than 6km, authorities have said, while thick smoke has also fallen over the region, reaching as far as some beaches 10km from the fire area.
Alexander Butler3 July 2025 14:00
Alexander Butler3 July 2025 13:30
Two people were evacuated by boat overnight, while six private boats were on standby in case further evacuations by sea became necessary, the coast guard said.
Nektarios Papadakis, a civil protection official at the regional authority, told The Associated Press overnight that tourists who had been evacuated from the area had been taken to an indoor basketball arena and hotels in other parts of the island.
Several residents were treated for breathing difficulties, officials said, but there were no reports of serious injuries.
Alexander Butler3 July 2025 12:58
Nektarios Papadakis, a regional civil protection official, told The Times: “It is a very difficult situation. The fire is very hard to contain. Right now, they cannot contain it.”
“The tourists who were moved out are all OK. They have been taken to an indoor basketball arena and hotels in other regions of the island,” he added.”
Avgi Makridoukaki, the owner of a guesthouse in Agia Fotia, said that she helped a French couple move to a safer part of the island.
Alexander Butler3 July 2025 12:40
Alexander Butler3 July 2025 12:30
Firefighters were struggling Thursday to bring a major wildfire on Greece’s southern island of Crete under control, hampered by gale force winds whipping up the flames.
Thousands of people were evacuated from hotels and homes overnight after the fire started Wednesday afternoon in the Ierapetra area on the island’s southern coast, officials said.
The head of the hoteliers’ association of Ierapetra and southeastern Crete, Giorgos Tzarakis, told local media about 5,000 tourists had been evacuated from the area, and that several homes and businesses had been damaged.
By Thursday morning, 230 firefighters backed by 10 water-dropping helicopters were battling the flames advancing through forest and farmland.
Gale force winds in the area, with gusts reaching about 50 miles (80 kilometers) per hour, “are constantly creating … new outbreaks, making firefighting work very difficult,” said fire department spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis.
Alexander Butler3 July 2025 12:24
The first wave of flights from the UK on Thursday are en route to Crete, with airlines operating as normal.
All the initial departures so far are showing as delayed by up to an hour on the Flightradar24 tracking site.
The delays are unrelated to the wildfires. Hold-ups are due to a scarcity of “slots” for flights triggered by three elements:
- A strike by French air-traffic controllers, which is affecting overflights; the direct route from UK airports to Crete passes over eastern France.
- Underlying staff shortages at air-traffic control centres along the route, especially at Karlsruhe in western Germany.
- Summer storm activity in the vicinity of the Alps.
Alexander Butler3 July 2025 12:20
The Greek ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection provides online advice on contending with forest fires. If fire has reached your location, the authorities say: “Do not abandon the building unless your escape is completely secured. Do not take shelter in a car. The possibility of survival in a building constructed by non-flammable materials is greater than that inside a vehicle close to smoke and fire.
“If you stay indoors, close firmly all the doors and windows. Block up all the cracks with wet clothes, in order to prevent smoke penetration. Remove the curtains from the windows. Close all interior doors to slow down the fire spreading in the building.
“Fill up the bathtub, wash-basins and buckets so that you have spare water. Gather all together in one room. Keep a torch and spare batteries at hand in case of electric power failure.”
Simon Calder3 July 2025 12:10
As the Foreign Office has not warned against non-essential travel to Greece, there will be no special circumstances in place to be able to cancel a trip for a full refund.
The conditions for cancelling your trip will be dependent on your holiday provider, so it’s best to contact them if you’re looking to postpone.
There is no obligation for companies to refund bookings if you want to cancel, and you will not be able to claim on your travel insurance due to safety concerns unless government advice changes.
If you do have travel insurance, some policies include natural disaster cover for an event that prevents you from reaching your holiday destination. Check your insurance policies and speak to your insurer to see where you stand.
Alexander Butler3 July 2025 12:00
There appears to be no disruption to flights due to the wildfires. Both of the island’s main airports are in the north, away from the fires.
Heraklion International Airport on Crete has no cancellations or disruptions to its flight schedule, data from FlightRadar shows.
Chania International Airport, also on the island, has not seen any significant disruptions to its flights.
Most airlines adhere to a policy whereby they should put you on the next available flight in the event of a cancellation. Compensation is unlikely when the cause of a cancellation is out of the airline’s control, such as wildfires.
Amelia Neath3 July 2025 11:45