Lesbos: Hundreds evacuated from Greek holiday resort as wildfires rage through country

At least one house was engulfed by the flames, authorities said

A Local sprays water as wildfire burns at the village of Vrisa, on the island of Lesbos, Greece (REUTERS)

More than 450 people were evacuated from a popular holiday resort on the Greek island of Lesbos as emergency services contended with four major wildfires.

A fire that broke out on Saturday morning on the Aegean island prompted the mass evacuation of the Vatera resort on the island’s southern side.

Authorities said that the fire came very close to the resort and at least one house was engulfed by the flames.

A local looks at wildfire burning in the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos (REUTERS)

A canadair firefighting plane drops water at the wildfire approaching homes and hotels at Vatera coastal resort (AFP via Getty Images)

A spokesperson for the fire service, Yannis Artopoios, said that more than five hours after an emergency message was sent by phone to residents, evacuation efforts were still “ongoing”.

Some 50 firefighters flanked by 17 fire engines, nine special firefighting planes and one helicopter were sent to tackle the inferno, he added.

As of Saturday afternoon, local police said they had evacuated over 450 people from two hotels and 92 houses.

Meanwhile, 60 officers were scouring the area for anyone that refused to move.

A local puts out flames at a damaged beach bar as wildfire burns near Vatera (REUTERS)

A burned car is seen in a yard as a wildfire rages in Vatera (REUTERS)

Greece‘s biggest fire Saturday was burning in the northeast near the border with Turkey for the third day running, inside a national forest that is the home to rare species, especially vultures.

The Dadia national forest is mostly made up of highly flammable pine trees.The fire service said 320 firefighters in 68 fire engines, plus 6 special planes, 9 helicopters and numerous volunteers were fighting the fire, while another 200 lumberjacks were cutting firebreak paths through the forest.

Two more major fires were burning Saturday, one in a remote mountainous area in the region of Western Macedonia and another in the southern Peloponnese region, Artopoios said.

A firefighter aircraft drops water over a forest fire as smoke rises near Vrisa village (AP)

View of the interior of a burnt house on the Aegean island of Lesbos (REUTERS)

The European Union gave Greece‘s forest service 72 million euros this year to help maintain forests and clear them to prevent fires from spreading.

Greece, unlike other areas in Europe, has so far avoided a heat wave this summer but temperatures have been rising.

The country’s hot, dry summers and strong winds have combined with the longer-term effects of climate change to increase the overall risk of forest fires.

With additional reporting from the Associated Press