A major wildfire erupted on August 13 in the Halkidiki peninsula in northern Greece, rapidly spreading due to strong winds and threatening popular summer resorts including Siviri and Fourka [1] [2] [3]. Authorities ordered evacuations of residents and tourists by land and sea, with 300 to 500 people evacuated mainly by small boats, coast guard, and fire brigade vessels [4] [1] [5] [6] [7] [8]. Traffic was congested or halted on main roads near Siviri and Kassandreia during the evacuations [4] [6] [7].
At least two firefighters were injured while battling the blaze(s2)(s3)(s4)(s5)(s6)(s8). Over 140 to 200 firefighters were deployed, supported by nine firefighting planes, seven helicopters, and numerous vehicles [4] [1] [2] [5] [6] [7] [3] [9]. Greek authorities also received support from Moldovan firefighting personnel [3].
The wildfire engulfed pine forests and homes, destroying some houses and vehicles and damaging local power and water supplies(s2)(s3)(s4)(s5). Strong northerly winds exceeding 100 km/h fueled the rapid fire spread and complicated firefighting efforts(s2)(s3)(s9). The fire reportedly started when high winds knocked down trees onto electric cables causing sparks(s2)(s3)(s7).
Local authorities sent evacuation warnings via mobile phones to the affected areas(s5)(s6)(s8). Greek Fire Brigade Spokesman said, "Due to fire approaching the beach, evacuation had to be conducted by sea route"(s5). Fire Brigade Spokesman Giannis Artopios added, "Our effort is focused on extinguishing the fire and the safe transport of people"(s1). Stratos Gitsoudis, president of Greece’s Forest Firefighters Association, described the situation as serious with fire spreading rapidly and threatening more settlements(s7).
Since the fire season began on May 1, Greece has experienced about 2,700 forest fires nationally, with over 500 in August alone(s2)(s3). Similar wildfires and heatwaves are affecting Southern Europe, including Spain, France, Croatia, and Turkey(s1)(s9). A fire incident in Fethiye, Turkey, simultaneously forced 115 people to evacuate a burning tourist boat by jumping into the sea without fatalities(s9).
Firefighters remain deployed to contain the wildfire in Halkidiki while ensuring evacuated people’s safety and restoring utilities disrupted by the fire.
