Firefighters battled wildfires that broke out on the eastern Aegean islands of Chios and Kos on Monday and which left two firefighters injured.
This came just a day after the fire department managed to tame two large forest fires near Athens that had been fanned by strong winds.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday (July 1) during a cabinet meeting: “We have had an exceptionally difficult June regarding weather conditions, with high levels of drought and unusually strong winds for this season.”
People sheltered on the island of Kos as a wildfire broke out, sending smoke pluming.
Firefighters are dealing with the incident, but Greece’s prime minister warns of a dangerous summer.
Read more about the Greece wildfires 👉 https://t.co/fnC0vMXj4p pic.twitter.com/PLMjd9mmLC
— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 1, 2024
This year’s summer, he said, “is predicted to be particularly dangerous” for wildfires.
Good Morning Britain reported that British tourists were among those evacuated from hotels last night, with some describing the situation as “apocalyptic”,
Is it safe to travel to Greece right now?
On the Government travel advice page for Greece it has not recommended people to not travel to Greece.
Its latest update at the time of writing was on June 25 stating: “Information on what you can do to prepare for and respond to extreme weather and natural hazards (‘Safety and security’ page).”
On the safety and security page, it mentions there is a “high risk of wildfires during the summer season from April to October” in the country.
It recommends registering for alerts from the Greek government’s Emergency Communication Service (in Greek). In terms of setting it up, it adds:
- for iPhones go to Settings > Notifications and enable the ‘Emergency Alerts’ option at the bottom
- for Android 11 and higher go to Settings > Notifications > Advanced Settings > Wireless Emergency Alerts
- for Samsung devices go to Settings > Apps > Messages > Notifications > Emergency Notifications and enable the ‘Emergency Alerts’ option
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In terms of further advice, it says:
- follow @112Greece for official updates
- follow the guidance of the emergency services
- call the Greek emergency services on 112 if you are in immediate danger
- contact your airline or travel operator who can assist you with return travel to the UK
It adds: “Wildfires are highly dangerous and unpredictable. The situation can change quickly.”