Greece wildfires: Holidaymakers describe 'apocalyptic' scenes as authorities warn of dangerous summer ahead

Hundreds of tourists and locals were evacuated on the Greek island of Kos overnight as firefighters continued to battle a large wildfire.

British holidaymaker Clare Smith (38) told Sky News the scene was “apocalyptic” with “thick plumes of black smoke” in the air.

“It's really windy here, it will be like a tinderbox,” she said. “The sky is covered in smoke. You feel like you're in the apocalypse, or some sort of war film.”

Mrs Smith, who was visiting Kos with her husband and nine-year-old daughter, received an alert on her phone telling her to relocate from their hotel resort.

As the wildfire reached the seaside village of Kardamaina overnight, people took refuge in a sports centre and other venues, Christos Efstratiou, deputy governor for the Dodecanese islands told the Reuters news agency.

The wildfire had abated by Tuesday morning, letting people return, and there was no damage to buildings, Mr Efstratiou said.

More than 100 firefighters were still tackling the blaze to stop it flaring up again, the fire brigade said.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said: “It is a summer which is expected to be particularly dangerous [for wildfires]... the most difficult times are still ahead of us.”

During a cabinet meeting he added: “We have had an exceptionally difficult June regarding weather conditions, with high levels of drought and unusually strong winds for this season.”

Mr Mitsotakis said the use of drones as an early warning system for wildfires had been useful, and increased coordination between authorities and volunteer firefighters.

Dozens of fires broke out across Greece, including two close to the capital, Athens, over the weekend.

Emergency crews assisted by water-carrying planes also fought to tame wildfires on the island of Chios and Crete on Tuesday.

Wildfires are common in the eastern Mediterranean country. But hotter, drier and windier weather that scientists link to the effects of climate change has increased their frequency and intensity.

Greece has scaled up its preparation this year after extensive fires in 2023 killed more than 20 people and forced 19,000 to flee.

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