Wildfires prompt evacuations in Greece and disrupt traffic on Croatia’s coast

Siviri, Greece. Tourists and residents fled villages in the Halkidiki region of northern Greece by land and sea as strong winds drove a wildfire through homes and trees near a resort during the holiday season.

More than 300 people were evacuated by boat from the seaside town of Siviri, while a separate fire disrupted traffic on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast.

Evacuations in Halkidiki

People wearing face masks, some carrying children or pets, boarded dinghies and boats in Siviri as the fire spread through forestland and smoke darkened the cloudless sky.

The blaze approached from inland and damaged holiday apartments and sea-facing balconies. Siviri is located on a peninsula of woodland, olive groves and beaches south of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city.

The coast guard said patrol and fire boats, as well as fishing vessels, took part in the evacuation operation.

Firefighting operation

More than 140 firefighters were deployed to fight flames on both sides of the main road between Siviri and Kassandreia, the fire brigade said in a statement on X.

Nine aircraft and seven helicopters were also deployed. One firefighter was injured and traffic was stopped in the area.

“Our effort is focused on extinguishing the fire and the safe transport of people,” fire brigade spokesman Giannis Artopios told the Protothema news portal.

Fire on Croatia’s coast

Strong gusts also hampered firefighting efforts on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, where a section of a major highway was closed because of a blaze near Lokva Rogoznica, south of Omis, according to local media.

Reports showed flames spreading among trees near the road and in built-up coastal areas.

Heatwaves and drought

Successive heatwaves across Europe this summer have intensified drought, put pressure on water supplies and left vegetation dry, contributing to wildfires in Spain, France and Greece that have burned areas close to unprecedented levels.