Greece fires map latest – Evia residents forced to evacuate as Brit firefighters join battle on flame-engulfed island

GREECE is experiencing its most severe heatwave in 30 years – causing residents of it’s second biggest island to evacuate.

Wildfires are ripping through the Greek island of Evia for a seventh day today, prompting residents to flee to safety by sea.

REUTERS

A firefighter tries to extinguish a wildfire burning in the village of Pefki, on the island of Evia, Greece[/caption]

MAXAR

Pillars of billowing smoke and ash turned the sky orange and blocked out the sun above Greece’s second-largest island[/caption]

More than 2,000 people have already been evacuated, with elderly residents carried on to ferries.

Parts of the island have been badly destroyed, with officials saying not enough help has been sent to help tackle the blazes.

Greece is experiencing its most severe heatwave in 30 years in which temperatures have spiked to 45C (113F).

A number of wildfires have struck the country in recent days as temperatures rose to 45C – including one fire in a northern suburb of the capital Athens which has now subsided.

Extreme weather conditions have hit the Eastern Mediterranean sparking a series of fast-spreading wildfires.

People were evacuated from their homes after a wildfire reached residential areas of northern Athens

Getty

Alamy

Burned out cars stand on the side of the road during a forest fire north of Athens[/caption]

Temperatures of more than 40C and high winds have fanned the flames in Greece, with some places seeing the mercury soar as high as 47C.

Local fire crews and volunteers are being supported by 100 firefighters from Ukraine, 112 from Romania who have brought 23 fire trucks, along with 34 firefighters and 14 vehicles from Serbia.

The UK sent at least 20 firefighters, who are currently battling the blaze now.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes and hundreds of frantic firefighters have been working to control the blazes.

Late on Sunday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his “heartfelt gratitude” to countries that had sent assistance.

“We thank you for standing by Greece during these trying times,” he wrote on Twitter.

Most read in News

HOLIDAY 'MURDER'

Girl, 15, died after 'being strangled & having throat crushed' at hol park

EVERY LITTLE HELPS

Unearthed Tesco receipt from 1989 shows just how different prices were

DOPPEL-CLANGERS

Hilarious pics show world’s worst lookalikes… can YOU guess who they are?

RALLY RAGE

Anti-vax protesters try to storm BBC and ITV studios as they clash with cops

DARK AGES

Boy, 8, 'faces DEATH PENALTY' for weeing on school carpet after blasphemy charge

RED ALERT

Homeowner sparks uproar putting 'fake traffic light' outside his cottage

Elsewhere in Greece, fires in the Peloponnese region are said to be stable and fires in the northern Athens suburb have subsided.

“The situation in Attica (which encompasses Athens) is better but we are afraid of the danger of flare-ups,” Mr Hardalias said.

Similar scenes are being seen in several other EU nations – with Italy and Turkey also plagued by wildfires, with hundreds of thousands of acres burned.

* Read the full story...This article was originally published h

Who will be Next to leave the EU? Check out who is leading in our exclusive poll Poll