A three-kilometre wall of flames up to 30 metres high forced hundreds of tourists into the sea off northern Greece on Thursday, as wildfires tore across France and the UK amid a punishing summer that has now brought Europe its fifth heatwave.
More than 200 firefighters, water-bombing planes and helicopters battled for hours to stop a blaze spreading across the Halkidiki peninsula, south of Thessaloniki, as it bore down on the resorts of Siviri and Fourka, packed with summer tourists. Judging road evacuation too dangerous, officials sent around 500 tourists into small boats, coast guard vessels and fire brigade craft, including roughly 200 taken to a ship waiting offshore, while cars trying to flee by road became gridlocked.
Across the Continent
Greece remains under its highest wildfire alert nationwide, still reeling from a blaze near Athens this month that killed two helicopter crew members and burned 110 square kilometres of forest. The Halkidiki fire was later brought under control, though crews stayed on alert for flare-ups and authorities banned public access to the region’s pine forests as forecasters warned of winds up to 100 km/h.
Two firefighters were hospitalised during the operation. “We are on the beach and looking for a way to get away,” one local homeowner, Sophia, told AFP, saying flames had already reached the town’s houses.
In France, Meteo-France placed four departments under its highest wildfire alert on Friday, warning conditions made fire risk “very high compared with summer norms.” Overnight, firefighters brought a blaze near Carcassonne under control after saving 73 homes, while a fire near Mont-Frieux in Pas-de-Calais remained active into Friday morning.
UK and Nuclear Under Strain
A wildfire with multiple points of origin tore through homes near Stourbridge in the UK on the region’s hottest day of the year, damaging at least six properties and forcing evacuations. Three firefighters and a child were hospitalised, while six others were treated for smoke inhalation. West Midlands Chief Fire Officer Simon Tuhill called it “one of the most significant incidents” the service had ever attended.
Nearly three-quarters of England is in drought, and Prime Minister Andy Burnham has urged retailers to limit sales of disposable barbecues. A 15-year-old has been placed under formal investigation and held in juvenile detention over a forest fire near Bordeaux airport that killed two firefighters on 21 July. The deaths have angered fire unions, who threatened strike action in September over inadequate resources.
The wildfires coincide with a broader energy crisis as Europe’s extreme heat forces nuclear reactors offline. France’s EDF has idled six reactors, cutting nuclear output by 15% of total fleet capacity to its lowest level since August 2023, while power prices surge across the continent.
Sources: Euronews; AFP; Reuters
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