Crete issues urgent warning for TODAY in Brit holiday hotspot

Brit holidaymakers have been warned that there is a “very high risk” of fires in Crete today with emergency services mobilised.

Greece has been grappling with massive wildfires following a week-long heatwave that saw temperatures skyrocket above 45C, leading to thousands being forced to abandon their homes as flames engulfed villages near Athens and several Greek islands.

Now a map has been issued by the General Secretariat of Civil Protection showing the areas of Greece which are most at danger. And Crete has been marked in orange which is category four and means that there is a forecast of a very high risk of fire.

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Under this category it means that a special civil protection mechanism has been put in place while there is a list of banned activities.

The action plan means that all resources will be diverted to tackling the risk and there is a list of six banned actions.

• the burning and use of fire on crop residues, grasslands or other
• of smoking in beehives
• the performance of hot work (welding, cutting wheel, etc.)
• the use of outdoor barbecues
• the use of "Sky Lanterns" (airborne flying lanterns or balloons)
• the use of pyrotechnics

Meanwhile, a significant fire ripped through a northern suburb of the Greek capital on Saturday, triggering urgent evacuation orders, as confirmed by the country's Fire Service.

Residents in Kryoneri, situated about 12 miles northeast of Athens, received three SMS alerts urging them to relocate to safer areas, while the nearby village of Drosopigi was shrouded in smoke as explosions reverberated from factories storing combustible materials.

Helicopters were dispatched to douse the area with water as a team of 65 firefighters, supported by 26 vehicles and two aircraft, battled the blaze.

A spokesperson for the fire department revealed that at least 52 wildfires had erupted across the nation in the past 24 hours, with strong winds exacerbating the situation and necessitating further evacuations.

On Evia, a force of 115 firefighters and 24 vehicles, aided by six aircraft and seven helicopters, strived to get the fires under control. Residents in the Triada region were put on alert for potential evacuation as wind conditions deteriorated. While the villages of Aroniadika, Pitsinades and Aryoi on the island of Kythera were evacuated, alongside Kryoneri and Sellas in Messinia, to the west of Athens.

Areas in Crete affected by fires

• Azilakodasos, Municipality of Agios Nikolaos
• Vathi, Municipality of Agios Nikolaos
• Thriptis, Municipality of Ierapetra
• Kalo Chorio, Municipality of Agios Nikolaos – Meseleri, Municipality of Ierapetra
• Selakano, Municipality of Ierapetra
• Cypress forest of Kritsa, Municipality of Agios Nikolaos
• Krousta Forest, Municipality of Agios Nikolaos.
• Symi, Municipality of Viannos
• Rouva-Zaros, Municipality of Gortyna and Municipality of Phaistos
• Koudouma, Municipality of Gortyna
• Keris, Municipality of Malevizi,
• Fourni, Municipality of Archanes – Asterousia
• Yuuchta, Municipality of Archanes – Asterousia
• Reconstruction, Municipality of Archanes – Asterousia
• Evligia suburban forest
• Suburban forest of Prof. Elias
• Agios Ioannis suburban forest
• Reforestation area south of the Arkadi Monastery
• Alsilio area of Paradisos Armenoi
• Mills Gorge
• Kissos suburban forest
• Periurban forest of Agouseliana
• Periurban forest of Agios Ioannis