Hundreds of residents and tourists were evacuated in Crete, as strong winds further fanned the flames.
Firefighters are still trying to contain the blaze.Firefighters battled through the night early Thursday against a rapidly spreading forest fire in Greece’s largest island, Crete.
The wildfire triggered the evacuation of residents and tourists from the island’s south coast.
Some people were treated for breathing difficulties, but there were no immediate reports of more serious injuries. Water-dropping planes and helicopters were grounded overnight, while more than 150 firefighters were trying to break up the fire on the hills to slow its advance.
“It’s a very difficult situation. The fire is very hard to contain. Right now, they cannot contain it,” Nektarios Papadakis, a civil protection official at the regional authority, told the Associated Press (AP) news agency.
Greece is often hit by wildfires during the hot and dry summers. The latest fire comes as Europe faces a historic heat wave.
