A major wildfire has broken out on Crete island, Greece, forcing the evacuation of over 5000 people.
A major wildfire has broken out on Crete island, Greece, forcing the evacuation of over 5000 people.
Hundreds of firefighters battled a blaze on Crete island, Greece, on Thursday, which burned swathes of forest and olive groves and forced the evacuation of over a thousand people, officials said, underscoring the region's vulnerability to destructive wildfires.

At least 230 firefighters, along with 46 engines and helicopters, were deployed to contain the conflagration, which broke out a day earlier near Ierapetra town on the southeastern coast of Greece's largest island.

Scores of residents and tourists were evacuated and moved to a temporary shelter at an indoor stadium in Ierapetra. Some left Crete by boats, authorities said.