Two people were killed on the Greek island of Salamina when two wildfires erupted almost simultaneously, and authorities are evacuating residents by sea.
Nearly 200 fire crews were deployed to the island. The first blaze began at 14:40 local time and spread rapidly under 12‑10‑mph winds, threatening to merge into a single, larger fire that could threaten much of the island.
Coastguard officials said around 90 people have already been evacuated by boat, aided by five patrol vessels and additional private ships. A fleet of aircraft and 50 fire engines have been put to work to fight the flames.
Deputy mayor Thodoris Zannis said firefighters were focused on preventing the fires from crossing a steep mountain and forming a single, massive blaze.
Salamina lies just west of Athens and hosts some 37,000 residents, many of them elderly. The island’s threat level was high this Sunday because of the heat wave and dry conditions.
This incident is part of a wider series of European wildfires that erupted over the weekend in response to prolonged dry heat.
