A new wildfire broke out Thursday afternoon in a densely wooded coastal area of northern Greece's Chalkidiki peninsula, about 90 kilometres south of Thessaloniki, prompting authorities to order evacuations in the resort areas of Siviri and Fourka.
Three emergency SMS alerts were sent to residents and visitors via the civil protection warning system. The coast guard and private boat owners ferried numerous holidaymakers to safety by sea from the threatened shoreline. A total of 122 firefighters and 41 vehicles were deployed on the ground, supported by nine aircraft and three helicopters.
Fire risk remains extreme heading into Friday, with winds forecast to reach up to 100 km/h. The blaze comes ten days after a separate fire destroyed more than 11,000 hectares of pine forest, scrubland and farmland northwest of Athens, where two helicopter crew members were killed in a mid-air collision while battling those flames.