Wildfire on Crete burns about 4,500 hectares; new blaze on Peloponnese
Meteo of the Greek National Observatory says about 4,500 hectares burned on Crete; strong winds and new fires on the Peloponnese complicate response.
About 4,500 hectares have burned on the island of Crete after a wildfire that broke out on Wednesday, the Meteo meteorological service of the Greek National Observatory reported. The blaze remained active for a third consecutive day as crews continued firefighting operations.
Satellite assessment and timeline
The burned area was estimated from a high‑resolution Sentinel‑2 image from the Copernicus programme taken at midday on 30 July; the processed image covers the period of 29 and 30 July and does not include area affected by a separate ignition that began on 30 July.
Strong winds have complicated efforts, hampering nighttime and morning ground operations and preventing aerial firefighting flights. Firefighters worked through the night and resumed operations at first light to try to contain shifting flames.
More than 270 firefighters were deployed to the southern part of Crete, and the coast guard was put on standby to carry out sea evacuations if necessary. Yesterday, 51 people were evacuated from Preveli beach by a coast guard vessel and two private boats.
Authorities reported two further active blazes on the Greek mainland: one in central Greece and another on the Peloponnese peninsula. Crews are monitoring weather conditions closely as they continue suppression work.
Photo: press material from the event
