Fires in Greece’s Crete and near Athens extinguished; two dead in Turkiye

According to officials, a wildfire on the Greek island of Crete that caused 5, 000 people to flee has since been put out.

Around 230 firefighters and six helicopters responded to the incident in the resort town of Ierapetra, where residents and visitors had to leave their homes and lodging on Wednesday night.

According to Al Jazeera’s John Psaropoulos, who was reporting from Agia Fotia, there was “no active fire front” by Friday morning. He continued, adding that helicopters were operating nearby to prevent flare-ups.

Despite the fire’s fatalities, some olive trees and forest trees were destroyed. According to two local MPs, efforts were being made to get the people who had been evacuated after the fire started to return.

Authorities said a fire that erupted near the port town of Rafina, which is about 30 kilometers (18 miles) east of the capital, Athens, was put under control on Thursday evening in mainland Greece.

Despite the strong winds, firefighting crews remained vigilant.

Local mayor Dimitris Markou told ERT that the fire had caused the evacuation of 300 people, and that it had also caused the destruction of a few homes and vehicles.

Additionally, it slowed the flow of ferries between the western Aegean Sea’s tourist islands and their arrivals.

Greece has so far been spared from the heatwave, which has scorched some of Europe, particularly Spain, Portugal, and France. However, in some areas of the nation, temperatures will start to rise and reach a high of 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) starting this weekend.

In Turkiye, there are two fatalities.

A 81-year-old resident died from smoke inhalation in neighboring Turkiye, while a local forestry worker was killed trying to contain a fire near the western town of Odemis, according to authorities.

In a string of wildfires that have prompted thousands of people to flee, these deaths were the first.

A wildfire that was fought off by hundreds of firefighters, supported by aircraft and helicopters, occurred near Cesme, a popular vacation spot located 120 kilometers west of Odemis, in the Aegean.

Three neighborhoods were forced to evacuate and roads were closed as a result of that fire, which started on Wednesday. On both sides of a highway, flames were seen racing through dry vegetation.

Turkiye has experienced dozens of wildfires that were caused by extreme heat, extreme heat, and low humidity over the past week.

About 200 homes have been damaged or destroyed as a result of the fires.

Greece and Turkiye are known for their hot, dry climate at this time of year. Both nations experience avoidable summer wildfires, which experts believe are a result of climate change’s worsening conditions.