Tourists flee blazes in Greece as fire hits bomb-riddled forest in Germany

Tourists were compelled to abandon forest fires in Greece, fleeing via fishing boats as soaring temperatures impacted much of Western Europe. An extensive wall of flames, spanning 3km and towering up to 30 meters, was rapidly approaching resorts on Greece's Halkidiki peninsula, situated south of Thessaloniki, according to ERT public television.

Nearly 500 tourists were evacuated by sea, many cradling children in their arms, with patrol, fire, and fishing vessels participating in the operation, the coastguard disclosed. Fire service spokesman Giannis Artopios stated that the evacuation on Thursday had to be by sea due to the flames encroaching dangerously close to the beaches, making land evacuation impossible.

Fire brigade spokesman Giannis Artopios emphasized that the priority was extinguishing the fire and ensuring the safe transport of people. Greece, like most of Europe, is grappling with severe wildfires this year, with around 40 blazes reported across the country, including nine that remain uncontrolled. Scorching heatwaves this summer have exacerbated drought conditions, depleted water supplies, and left vegetation highly flammable, enabling wildfires in Spain, France, and Greece to ravage extensive areas of land.

In western Germany, over 2,000 residents were evacuated from their homes early Friday following a wildfire near the Belgian border that threatened the village of Gey. Mayor Stephan Cranen of Gey noted that while the evacuation was completed, the situation remained critical as the flames were just 300 meters away from the village, as reported by regional public broadcaster WDR.

One of the out-of-control wildfires had spread overnight towards a former munitions depot in the nearby town of Dueren, Cranen explained, noting that unexploded Second World War ammunition is still present in some surrounding forest areas due to the hilly terrain preventing complete clearance. Occasional detonations were reported during the wildfire.

In the UK, London experienced its hottest day of the year on Thursday, with temperatures reaching 38.1°C, surpassing the previous record set on June 28 by just a tenth of a degree. Firefighters were battling multiple blazes in central England, with houses reduced to ashes in the West Midlands. Mayor Richard Parker of the region described the multiple fires as an "extremely worrying and fast-moving situation."

In Croatia, forest fires engulfed the seaside town of Lokva Rogoznica, near Split, resulting in 19 injuries and the evacuation of numerous residents and tourists. Local authorities, including fire chief Slavko Tucakovic, described it as the worst blaze in Croatia's history, attributing the rapid spread to strong winds changing direction unpredictably.

"Numerous houses, cafes, restaurants, cars, and boats that were pulled out of the water were damaged," Tucakovic lamented. In France, fires were reignited in the southwestern Les Landes region on Friday, consuming over 1,000 hectares of land as temperatures once again exceeded 40°C. The area saw significant fires last month, prompting the evacuation of 220,000 people.