Horrific wildfires in the Greek island of Evia have caused residents to flee to safety via ferries. More than 2,000 residents have already been evacuated, with elderly inhabitants being carried on to ferries due to the quality of the air and density of the smoke. Local officials claim that not enough help has been sent to fight the fires, as parts of the island have already been completely destroyed. The fires mark the worst blazes in 30 years, along with Greece’s most severe heatwave in the same timeline. Temperatures have spiked to roughly 113 degrees Fahrenheit.
A number of wildfires have broken out across Greece in the past several days, likely due to the extreme temperatures. One blaze in the northern suburb of Athens has since been put out by firefighters, according to officials. On Evia, two separate fires have already destroyed thousands of hectares of land, and with it several homes and businesses. Firefighters on the island are struggling to keep the fires at bay. With no signs of the fires subsiding soon, residents and officials are calling on the Greek government to save their island.
Read More: In Greece, Evia island residents forced to evacuate