Villages evacuated on Greek tourist island after major wildfire breaks out

Residents on Paros were forced to leave their homes as firefighters raced to extinguish the blaze

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Villages have been evacuated on the Greek island of Paros as firefighters raced to extinguish a large wildfire raging for a second day.

According to local authorities, around 10 villages have been evacuated on the popular tourist island since the blaze erupted at midday on Tuesday.

The fire broke in the Kampi area, near Paros' landfill site, initially burning rubbish and vegetation. It is not clear how many residents and visitors have been forced to leave their homes.

The blaze has since spread to form multiple fronts on the southern and southeastern side of the island.

Authorities have issued four emergency alerts for Paros residents.

The Paros Fire Department said 66 firefighters and four forest commando teams from the 1st Special Forest Operations Unit are tackling the flames.

Giannis Artopios, deputy spokesman for the fire service, said firefighting efforts had been complicated by strong winds, ranging from 6 to 7 on the Beaufort scale. Strong winds during a wildfire can cause spot fires and create new fronts, away from the original fire.

Paros’ mayor, Konstantinos Bizas, has warned that winds on the island are expected to strengthen further.

Europe is reeling after one of its worst wildfire seasons on record, though Greece has so far escaped the worst of the flames that have devastated France and Spain.

But Hellenic Fire Service spokesperson, Yiannis Artopios, has emphasised that the Paros fire shows “there is no room for complacency.”

Across the Northern Hemisphere, forest fires are becoming more intense and more common.

In the past week, more than 360,000 people have been evacuated across southwestern France and Spain as extreme wildfires intensify .

The area of land burned in France is already 40 per cent larger than the previous record year.

President Emmanuel Macron has described this season’s wildfires as the worst disaster to face the country since the Second World War.

In Spain, fires in eastern Castellon have burnt more than 10,000 hectares as weather conditions continue to trigger several flare-ups.

At least six regions in the country have been placed on orange alert, the second-highest level in the country's weather alert system.

Experts have warned that the intensity of wildfires in Europe has been worsened by the impact of climate change.

A report published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) in June concluded that, without decisive climate action, Europe will be forced to “cope with worsening extremes.”

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