Holidaymakers are staying away from campsites in France as ‘unprecedented’ wildfires rip through the country, while firefighters scrambled to protect a seaside town in Greece.
A wildfire in France’s Provence region continued to spread last night as 1,300 firefighters were deployed to quell the flames.
Some 2,500 people were still unable to return home.
Campsites in south-west France are now deserted after holidaymakers avoid the area following weeks of fires.
A campsite manager in Domaine de La Rive, near the town of Biscarrosse, told of how a recent evacuation has deterred more tourists from coming.
Some 1,200 people were evacuated from the campsite in just 30 minutes.
But now, while the site is usually booked out, Hadrien Folliot said his campsite was empty.
Some 62 campsites were evacuated in the wildfire affected areas, France’s National Federation of Outdoor Lodging said.
A Greek firefighter tries to extinguish a wildfire in the area of Porto Germeno
A firefighting helicopter drops water over a wildfire in the area of Porto Germeno, just 45 miles of Athens
The most recent fire in Provence continued to spread despite emergency services fighting to keep it away from nearby towns.
By the end of the week, authorities said a total of 4,500 hectares had been burnt.
Meanwhile, hundreds of firefighters battled wind-fuelled fires near a tourist hotspot in Greece – that is just 45 miles from Athens.
A huge wall of fire and smoke engulfed forests near Porto Germeno on the Gulf of Corinth, northwest of the capital.
Authorities said strong winds made the fire spread more quickly and made it unpredictable for firefighters.
‘The situation is extremely hard, especially today. We have really strong winds, gusts exceeding 73 kph (45 mph). The direction of the fire can’t be determined easily,’ doctor and firefighter Giorgos Doulas said.
New pictures show helicopters dropping water and fire retardants to try and stop the spread of the fire.
Ilias Papadimitropoulos, 65, from Kryo Pigadi said: ‘Every summer we worry whether we will catch fire or not.
‘We live and breathe with this anxiety. From what I see, things are very difficult.’
Hundreds of firefighters battled wind-fuelled fires near a tourist hotspot in Greece
Authorities said strong winds made the fire spread more quickly and made it unpredictable
Earlier, more than 200 people from the town of Agios Vasileios had to be evacuated by sea.
Around 500 people, mostly tourists, were left stranded after a fire broke out near Agios Vasileios in Viotia, central Greece, on Friday morning and rapidly spread in strong winds, local media reported.
Footage showed residents and holidaymakers boarding boats as volunteers and rescue teams worked to remove those from the town.
Other videos showed how smoke swirled around in the air as people flocked to board vessels.
People there had previously been told by authorities to move inland before the fire reached the outskirts of the town, according to the BBC.
Europe has been ravaged by wildfires this summer after successive record-breaking heatwaves, leaving vast stretches of drought-parched vegetation primed to burn, and forcing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.
In Italy, authorities put nearly all of its major cities on the highest ‘red’ alert for high temperatures as a new heatwave threatened to grip the country.
Some 19 cities including Rome, Milan, Venice and Naples will now be on the alert as temperatures are set to hit the mid 30s C next week.
Successive heatwaves have created favourable conditions for wildfires across Europe and Britain.
A wildfire in Suffolk this week burnt 371 acres – equivalent to 210 football pitches and took hold near Britain’s biggest nuclear power station Sizewell B.
