ATHENS (Reuters) -Greece brought a wildfire under control on the island of Crete on Saturday that forced dozens to flee their homes, the fire department said, with authorities on alert due to strong winds.
The blaze that broke out earlier in the day, fanned by strong winds, spread across the slopes of the mountainous forest east of the seaside town of Ierapetra.
Authorities ordered the precautionary evacuation of the villages of Achlia, Galini, Agia Fotia and Mavros Kolimpos, as the blaze closed in on some homes.
“The fire has subsided significantly after the efforts of hundreds of firefighters,” a fire service official told Reuters. “It was the first big one near a residential area this year.”
Scientists fear that the season could be damaging given that Greece has just had its warmest winter on record, leaving much of the land warm and dry.
Earlier in the day a fireman and a local resident were taken to hospital with minor injuries. About 150 firefighters were battling the forest fire on the ground, assisted by three helicopters.
The civil protection ministry has set authorities on alert due to strong winds expected in next coming days and after dozens of smaller forest fires broke out on Saturday.
Wildfires are common in the Mediterranean nation. Last year a wildfire burning in northeastern Greece for 11 days destroyed an area larger than New York City and killed 20 people.
(Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas; Editing by Jan Harvey and David Evans)
