Greece wildfire forces tourists off beaches by boat

A forest fire on Greece's Halkidiki peninsula forced dozens of tourists to leave beaches by boat as flames approached the resorts of Siviri and Fourka, the fire service and ERT public television reported.

The fire service said almost 150 firefighters, water-bombing planes and helicopters were working against the blaze south of Thessaloniki. It said two firefighters were injured and taken to hospital.

ERT reported that 15 small boats evacuated tourists, including families with children, and showed people waiting on a pontoon as smoke covered the area. It also reported traffic jams as cars tried to leave Siviri and Fourka, and said a wall of flames about three kilometres long and up to 30 metres high was approaching the resorts.

A homeowner in the region, identified only as Sophia, told AFP she could see flames reaching the town and houses from the beach.

Firefighters said strong winds were hampering the response. Greek authorities had issued the highest fire alert for much of the mainland, and Halkidiki authorities had banned public entry to the region's pine forests. Forecasters predicted winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour on Friday.