RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesOver 300 individuals were evacuated by vessel from Siviri
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Wildfires driven by powerful winds swept through homes and trees near northern Greek resorts on Thursday, forcing locals and vacationers to escape villages in the Halkidiki region across both land and sea at the peak of the holiday season .
Wearing protective face masks and holding their pets, residents and visitors boarded dinghies and small boats in coastal Siviri as flames consumed nearby forests and thick gray smoke filled the clear skies. Inland, fires severely damaged holiday rental apartments and balconies facing toward the open sea.
According to an official statement from the coast guard, over 300 individuals were evacuated by vessel from Siviri, located on a scenic peninsula of forests, olive trees and beaches south of Greece's second city, Thessaloniki. The maritime effort utilized patrol craft, firefighting boats, and local fishing vessels during the rescue operation.
More than 140 firefighters were deployed to battle flames raging on both sides of the main road from Siviri to the town of Kassandreia. Nine aircraft and seven helicopters were also deployed, the fire brigade said in a statement posted on X. One firefighter was injured and traffic has been stopped.
"Our effort is focused on extinguishing the fire and the safe transport of people," fire brigade spokesman Giannis Artopios told Protothema news portal.
Across Europe, successive heatwaves this summer have intensified drought, strained water supplies and left vegetation tinder-dry, fueling an unusually active wildfire season in France, Spain and Greece that has scorched near-unprecedented amounts of land.
Roughly 1,200 people were evacuated from a campsite as a result of two wildfires near a beach in northern France, local officials announced on Wednesday.
The prefecture for the administrative department of Pas-de-Calais, situated in the country's north and bordering the Strait of Dover, reported that one wildfire was under control. However, conditions were "unfavourable" for the second blaze, as difficult access allowed the fire to spread unimpeded toward the south.
French environment minister Monique Barbut said earlier on Wednesday that the heatwaves could result in as much as €15 billion ($17 billion) in direct and indirect costs.
France and the wider continent, the world’s fastest-warming region, saw vegetation flourish after a relatively wet winter before drying out during the rolling heatwaves.
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