Hundreds of tourists were evacuated by boat from beaches in northern Greece on Thursday as a forest fire closed in on two popular resorts in the Halkidiki peninsula south of Thessaloniki. A fire service spokesman said the evacuation had to be by sea because the flames were getting close to the beaches.
Water bombing planes and helicopters and almost 150 firefighters battled the blaze. Two injured firefighters were taken to hospital. The fire spread across the Halkidiki peninsula south of the city of Thessaloniki, and within hours of erupting it was threatening homes around the popular resorts of Siviri and Fourka, which are packed with summer tourists. The region is dominated by flammable pine forests.
Emergency Response Under Pressure
Greece's civil protection agency sent evacuation warnings by phone to people in the two resorts. ERT public television reported that more than 250 tourists in bathing costumes, many carrying children in their arms, were evacuated by sea in 15 small boats brought into service for the emergency. Dozens queued on a pontoon at Fourka waiting to flee as smoke blotted out the sky over the resorts, according to images broadcast by ERT. There were also traffic jams of cars trying to leave Fourka and Siviri.
ERT said a three-kilometre-long wall of flames up to 30 metres high was closing in on the resorts. Sophia, a home owner in the region who only gave her first name, told AFP by phone: "We are on the beach and looking for a way to get away." She said: "From where we are, we can see that flames have reached the town and the houses."
Firefighters said strong winds made the battle difficult. Greek authorities had issued a maximum five alert for fires for much of the Greek mainland, and Halkidiki authorities had banned the public from entering the region's pine forests. Weather forecasters predicted winds of up to 100 kilometres, or 60 miles, an hour on Friday.
National Fire Crisis Deepens
The authorities said 40 forest fires were reported across Greece in 24 hours and that nine were still not controlled by late Thursday. Already this month, two crew from a helicopter helping to battle a forest fire near Athens died when their aircraft collided with another helicopter in mid-air. The fire destroyed 110 square kilometres of forest.
The Halkidiki evacuation highlights the strain on Greece's emergency services during peak tourist season. The country's tourism industry, which accounts for roughly a fifth of GDP, faces mounting pressure from increasingly frequent summer wildfires. The combination of flammable pine forests, strong winds, and high temperatures creates conditions that overwhelm local firefighting capacity.
The scale of the response β 150 firefighters, water bombing planes, helicopters, and emergency boat evacuations β underscores the resource burden placed on member states dealing with climate-related emergencies. Greece issued a maximum five alert for fires across much of the mainland, but the sheer number of simultaneous blazes stretches available personnel and equipment.
Why This Matters:
The Halkidiki wildfire evacuation exposes the economic and operational vulnerability of southern European member states during extreme weather events. Greece's tourism sector, critical to national revenue, faces direct threats from wildfires that can erupt and spread within hours. The death of two helicopter crew members earlier this month demonstrates the human cost of inadequate firefighting infrastructure. With 40 fires reported in 24 hours and nine uncontrolled by late Thursday, Greece's emergency services are operating at capacity. National governments must prioritise investment in fire prevention, early warning systems, and firefighting resources rather than relying on EU crisis funds after disasters strike. The fiscal burden of repeated evacuations, property damage, and lost tourism revenue falls squarely on member states that can least afford it.