A fire-fighting aircraft fights the flames near the bathing resort of Vatera.
Image: AFP
The mayor ordered the evacuation of Vatera on Saturday because a forest fire was spreading in the direction of the village. 450 people were affected – including many guests of the hotels located there.
AA popular bathing resort on the Greek Mediterranean island of Lesbos was evacuated on Saturday due to a forest fire. Two hotels and more than 90 houses were evacuated in the coastal town of Vatera, police said. A total of 450 people were brought to safety.
The Coast Guard had previously said it had evacuated the beach, bringing nine people, including five foreigners, to safety.
At least two houses in Vatera were destroyed in the fire, according to information from the state TV broadcaster ERT. Firefighters used nine planes and one helicopter to fight the blaze.
The fire broke out at 10:00 local time and spread towards the villages of Vrisa and Vatera. The mayor of western Lesvos, Taxiarchis Verros, ordered the evacuation as a precautionary measure, according to information from the ANA news agency.
Firefighters also battled a blaze in northeast Greece’s Dadia National Park, home to a population of black vultures, for the third straight day on Saturday.