Wildfire forces 1,500 people to leave Crete as heat sears Europe

A wildfire fanned by gale-force winds has forced the evacuation of more than 1,500 people on the Greek island of Crete, officials have said, as large swathes of continental Europe baked in a punishing early summer heat-wave linked to at least nine deaths.

- Jon Henley Angela Giuffrida

About 230 firefighters, along with 46 vehicles and helicopters, were battling the blaze yesterday after it broke out 24 hours earlier near Ierapetra, on the south-east coast of the country's largest island, threatening to engulf houses and hotels.

A fire brigade spokesperson, Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, said: "There are wind gusts in the area, some measuring 9 on the Beaufort scale, triggering rekindling and hindering firefighting efforts." He added that four settlements had been evacuated.

Residents and tourists were taking shelter at an indoor stadium and some had left Crete by boat, authorities said. Local media reported some homes had been damaged. An estimated 5,000 more holidaymakers left south-east Crete independently.