Kathimerini Greece Newsroom
What began as a summer getaway quickly turned into a desperate escape on Friday, as hundreds of people were forced to flee a fast-moving wildfire in central Greece, some by fishing boat after the flames blocked the only road out.
The dramatic scenes unfolded in the coastal settlement of Agios Vasileios, on the Gulf of Corinth, where a wildfire swept through nearby farmland and forest, surrounding the area and leaving an estimated 500 people, most of them holidaymakers, stranded.
With the main access road cut off by the advancing fire, authorities launched an emergency evacuation by sea. Residents and tourists boarded private fishing boats and a Fire Service vessel, which ferried them to the nearby coastal area of Livadostra. From there, municipal buses were waiting to take evacuees to safety.
At the same time, emergency crews opened an alternative escape route along an unpaved road. To reduce the risk of vehicles becoming trapped, officials allowed only 10 cars at a time to pass through.
For many, the uncertainty was as frightening as the fire itself.
"There is panic," tourist Katerina Karanatsi told Kathimerini English Edition while waiting to board one of the evacuation boats. She said evacuees had not been told where they would be taken.
The wildfire, driven by strong winds, spread rapidly around the coastal settlement, turning what should have been a relaxing day by the sea into a race to escape.
Earlier in the day, Greece's 112 emergency alert system instructed residents and visitors to evacuate towards the nearby village of Kaparelli, but the speed of the fire made leaving by road increasingly difficult.
Authorities have not yet confirmed how many firefighters or aircraft are involved in the operation, while efforts to contain the blaze continue.
