Paros wildfire forces precautionary evacuations

Firefighters were battling a wildfire on the Greek tourist island of Paros on Wednesday after strong winds helped spread flames, prompting precautionary evacuations in several areas, authorities said.

Yannis Artopios, deputy spokesman for the Greek fire service, said the blaze broke out overnight at a landfill site in the west of the Aegean island and spread southward through brush and scrubland because of strong winds.

He said two aircraft, five helicopters and about 100 firefighters were deployed to contain the fire.

Local authorities said around 10 villages were evacuated as a precaution. It was not immediately clear how many residents and visitors had been forced to leave their homes.

Vazeos Petropoulos, the local official responsible for Paros and neighbouring Antiparos, said conditions had improved by Wednesday morning but scattered hot spots remained.

Paros, in the Cyclades archipelago, is one of Greece's popular tourist destinations. Greece faces wildfires almost every summer, and officials said strong winds had fuelled dozens of other fires across the country in recent days.