A devastating wildfire in southern Crete, near the town of Rethymno, has claimed the lives of two firefighters and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents and tourists. The blaze, which broke out on Wednesday afternoon in low vegetation near Krya Vrysi, has been driven by exceptionally strong northerly winds, reaching gusts of over 100 kilometres per hour — equivalent to force 10–11 on the Beaufort scale.
The fire spread rapidly towards several settlements and tourist areas along the southern coast of Rethymno, including Melambes, Sachtouria, Kryopetra, Agios Pavlos, Agios Georgios, Orne and Agia Galini. By Thursday morning, the active front exceeded 15 kilometres, according to officials from the Region of Crete. The full perimeter and the extent of the burned land have not yet been officially calculated.
Ground crews fight on as winds ground aircraft
More than 220 firefighters, supported by 11 specialised forest firefighting units on foot and 53 fire engines, are working to contain the flames. Reinforcements arrived by ferry from mainland Greece on Thursday morning. However, aerial firefighting operations have been severely limited: two helicopters were deployed but could not safely carry out continuous water drops due to the extreme winds. Aerial assets operated only briefly on Wednesday before being forced to withdraw.
Ground crews worked through the night to contain scattered hotspots and prevent the fire from reaching inhabited areas. Water tankers and heavy machinery from the municipality of Agios Vasileios, the Region of Crete, and neighbouring municipalities are supporting the effort. Seven ambulances from the National Emergency Aid Centre remain on standby in the wider area of Krya Vrysi, Orne and Agia Galini.
Maria Lioni, deputy regional governor of Rethymno, described the situation as a “nightmare night and nightmare day,” stressing that the damage is extensive but a full assessment cannot be carried out while the fire is still burning.
Thousands evacuated, homes and farmland destroyed
The Greek emergency service 112 sent six mass warning messages urging residents and tourists to evacuate. Around 8,000 people were moved out of the area, according to an estimate by the regional administration. Agia Galini, a tourist settlement, was evacuated by land with police assistance. The Coast Guard also evacuated people by sea from Agios Pavlos and Triopetra, where road access was cut off.
About 700 people were taken to the indoor sports hall of the municipality of Phaistos in Moires, Heraklion, where beds, mattresses and basic necessities were set up. Other visitors were transferred to available accommodation in safe areas of Crete with the help of travel agencies and hotel operators. The Ministry of Tourism, in cooperation with the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels, activated a special online platform to provide temporary accommodation for those forced to leave their homes or tourist lodgings.
Initial reports indicate damage to homes, farms, arable land, pasture and livestock facilities, with animal losses also recorded. There is no official count of destroyed homes or agricultural installations yet; local authorities stress that assessment will begin once safe access is possible.
The funerals of the two firefighters who lost their lives are being held on Thursday in Rethymno and the municipality of Amari. Their deaths underscore the extreme danger faced by firefighting crews across Greece, where dozens of rural and forest fires broke out within 24 hours. The Greek Fire Service recorded 37 fires between Tuesday evening and Wednesday evening; 30 were tackled immediately, while operations continued on seven fronts, including the one in Plomari on Lesbos.
This disaster is part of a broader pattern of increasingly severe wildfires across Europe, driven by hotter and drier conditions. For more on how the continent is grappling with this threat, read our analysis of sixth-generation wildfires and the challenges they pose. Other recent blazes, such as those in Gironde, France, have similarly disrupted communities and economies.
