Greek wildfires force 8,000 evacuations on Crete island

Greek wildfires force 8,000 evacuations on Crete island

Strong winds and blistering temperatures have triggered a massive evacuation of around 8,000 people on the Greek island of Crete. The emergency orders were issued in Rethymno, where wind gusts reached 125km per hour (78mph), fueling one of the largest blazes on the island.

The fire in Rethymno now stretches over 15km (9.3 miles) and remains out of control. Maria Lioni, the Deputy Regional Governor of Rethymno, described Wednesday as a dark day for the region. Containment efforts have been severely hampered by the weather, as local firefighting aircraft have been unable to fly due to the wind.

The tragedy has already claimed the lives of three Greek firefighters. Two died near Krya Vrysi, and a third died near the port town of Gytheio in the Peloponnese. The fires have swept through vegetated areas and threatened homes located in mountainous valleys.

Greece is not alone in its struggle. Much of Europe is currently grappling with a combination of droughts and devastating fires driven by extreme heat. In England and Wales, fire crews have responded to a new wildfire approximately every 90 minutes over the last fortnight during the continent's fourth heatwave.

The United Kingdom is facing its own environmental crisis, with more than half of England officially in flash drought conditions according to the Environment Agency. Seven water companies have implemented temporary-use bans, affecting 23 million customers. In Surrey, the Royal Horticultural Society’s garden at Wisley recorded 43 consecutive days without rain as of Wednesday; just two more dry days would equal a 45-day spell from 1976 that caused widespread crop failures and water shortages.

Adding to the domestic strain, a major incident was declared Wednesday after a large-scale, wind-driven wildfire broke out on Dunwich Heath on the Suffolk coast. The blaze spread across 25.7 acres, forcing the evacuation of homes and a caravan park. Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service deployed 90 firefighters to the scene, while the country's largest nuclear power plant, Sizewell B, was placed on alert.

The UK's ability to respond to these disasters has come under scrutiny. The i Paper reported that military firefighting helicopters are currently unavailable for deployment because they are stationed in Cyprus, 2000 miles away.

Campaigners are linking these extreme weather events to the actions of the fossil fuel industry. Robert Palmer, deputy director at Uplift, stated that while firefighters and families battle wildfires, companies like Shell are doubling down on oil and gas.

Shell recently reported a net profit of $9.4bn (£7.4bn) for the three months ending in June, more than double its profit for the same period last year. Much of this surge was driven by wholesale energy price increases resulting from the conflict in the Middle East, which has largely blocked the Strait of Hormuz. Only around 11% of usual traffic is passing through the strait after it was closed in February following attacks by the US and Israel.

Oxfam analysis of data from Nature suggests that emissions from BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell and TotalEnergies were sufficient to cause around 1 in 4 heatwaves reported globally between 2000 and 2023. Using S&P Capital Trucost data, Oxfam estimates that Big Oil was responsible for $60 billion in environmental damage last year.

As the fires continue to burn on Crete and drought conditions persist across Europe, the immediate priority remains the containment of the Rethymno blaze and the protection of mountainous communities.