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TOURISM

Evacuated Swedes to return after Greek fires

Swedish tourists evacuated after forest fires on the Greek island of Samos are set to return to their hotels on Tuesday as the emergency services regained control of the situation.

Evacuated Swedes to return after Greek fires

“The fires are not in the vicinity of the village any more,” said Eva Olivcrona at travel operator Fritidsresor, which has 137 holidaymakers in the village of Votsalakia on Samos’ west coast.

The fire, which started in a nearby ravine, is according to news agency AFP under control and fire services will spend the day extinguishing embers and isolated outbreaks.

Once the village has been cleared of debris the tourists will be able to return to their hotels and continue their holidays.

“We hope that they will be able to come back to their hotels during the day,” Olivcrona said.

Apollo also evacuated tourists from Votsalakia, and according to Kajsa Moström at the firm it is not yet clear when they can return.

137 Swedes were evacuated on Monday evening from their hotels as the fires, some 500 metres from the village, were considered to threaten their safety. The tourists were housed in alternative hotel accommodation.

The fire is reported to be the second to have broken out on the island of Samos within a week as high temperatures and dry weather exacerbate seasonal risks.

There are no reports of anyone having been hurt in connection with the fires or evacuations.

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WILDFIRES

Military joins fight against new wildfire on Spain’s Tenerife

Spain's military deployed Thursday to help battle a wildfire on the Canary Island of Tenerife, which reignited after ravaging thousands of hectares of land in August, officials said.

Military joins fight against new wildfire on Spain's Tenerife

Some 120 people were battling the blaze in the northeast of the island, including 60 members of the army’s Military Emergency Unit and 26 army vehicles, the unit wrote on the social media network X, formerly called Twitter.

The regional government of Tenerife requested assistance from the army late Wednesday as strong winds fanned the flames.

The fire forced the evacuation of some 3,000 people from the town of Santa Ursula, and another 200 from La Orotava, the regional government said.

The blaze — which first broke out on August 15 — was declared under control on September 11 after destroying around 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) of woodland, but was never fully put out.

The fire rekindled on Wednesday amid scorching temperatures in Tenerife, with the mercury nearing 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in some parts of the island.

https://twitter.com/AlbaPerezL/status/1709575869847515585

“It is the same fire. We have to remember that it was declared under control but not extinguished,” the director of Tenerife’s emergency services, Ivan Martin, told local television, adding the fire was burning closer to built-up areas this time around.

Winds had died down in the morning, helping firefighters in the battle against the blaze, but they were forecast to pick up in the afternoon as temperatures soar.

Popular tourist areas on Tenerife, part of the Canaries archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, have so far been unaffected and its two airports have been operating normally.

The seven-island archipelago is located off the northwest coast of Africa and southwest of mainland Spain. At their nearest point, the islands are 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Morocco.

As global temperatures rise due to climate change, scientists have warned that heatwaves will become more frequent and more intense.

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