Terrifying moment flames roared along Lesbos coastline after hundreds of tourists were evacuated from nearby holiday resort as Greek firefighters continue to battle wildfires across the country

• Fires continued to rage in the north, east and south of Greece including on the island of Lesbos on Sunday
• Lesbos fire broke out at 10am on Saturday, with hundreds of tourists ordered to evacuate as flames closed in
• Terrifying footage captured from a boat on Saturday showed roaring flames tearing along the coast 
• The country is in the grip of a heatwave that began on Saturday and is expected to last 10 days. Temperatures were set to rise to 42 degrees Celsius in some regions 

This is the moment flames roared along a Greek coastline on Saturday as the country continues to battle ferocious wildfires across the country, with higher temperatures raising concern over the possibility of more blazes.

Hundreds of tourists were evacuated from a nearby holiday resort on the island of Lesbos as the fire spread and destroyed at least four houses, as firefighters battled more blazes elsewhere in the country.

Terrifying footage from the island captured from a boat on Saturday showed roaring flames tearing through trees along the shoreline, with black smoke billowing into the air and covering the area in a thick haze.

Houses built along the coast could be seen through the haze as the flames closed in, while abandoned deck chairs and parasols lined the deserted beach.

A second video, also from Lesbos, showed firefighters battling flames in a hellish landscape. The firefighters are shown working to put out flames in the dark, with daylight completely blocked by the smoke.

The country is in the grip of a heatwave that began on Saturday and is expected to last 10 days. Temperatures were set to rise to 42 degrees Celsius in some regions.

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Terrifying footage (pictured) captured from a boat on Saturday showed roaring flames tearing through trees along the shoreline, with black smoke billowing into the air and covering the area in a thick haze

A second video (pictured), also from Lesbos, showed firefighters battling flames in a hellish landscape. The firefighters are shown working to put out flames in the dark, with daylight completely blocked by the smoke

Residents look at fire burning trees near the houses at Vatera coastal resort on the eastern island of Lesbos on July 23, 2022

A canadair firefighting plane drops water at the wildfire approaching homes and hotels at Vatera coastal resort on the eastern island of Lesbos on July 23, 2022

Greece is in the grip of a heatwave that began on Saturday and is expected to last 10 days. Temperatures were set to rise to 42 degrees Celsius in some regions

A view of a burnt house following a forest fire near the beach resort of Vatera, on the eastern Aegean island of Lesbos, on Sunday, July 24, 2022

Copernicus, The European Union’s Earth Observation Programme, said on Sunday that smoke from the fire that broke out on Lesbos was picked up by one of its satellites flying overhead on Saturday

The smoke of a wildfire billows as it approaches Vatera coastal resort on the eastern island of Lesbos on July 23, 2022 

Fires raged in the north, east and south of Greece – including on the island of Lesbos. The fire on Lesbos broke out at 10am on Saturday, and was blazing on two fronts, heading towards the Vrisa village and another inside Vatera.

The blaze continued to rage on Sunday, causing the evacuation of hundreds of tourists and residents from the beachside village of Vatera, on the island’s southern side.

At least four houses were destroyed, state TV ERT reported, and fires damaged an unknown number of shops, hotels and beach bars in the village.

Copernicus, The European Union’s Earth Observation Programme, said on Sunday that smoke from the Lesbos fire was picked up by one of its satellites flying overhead on Saturday.

West Lesbos mayor Taxiarchis Verros ordered the evacuation of the busy beach resort as a precautionary measure, acting on the advice of the fire brigade, Athens News Agency reported. He did not provide figures on how many were evacuated but there were several buses and small boats to take people away.

Dozens of firefighters on Sunday morning clamoured to control the blaze, with four water-dropping planes and two helicopters in operation.

A wildfire was ablaze for a fourth day in Dadia National Park, known for its black vulture colony, in the northeastern region of Evros. The fire has already destroyed nearly 500 hectares (1,220 acres) of woodland.

More than 300 firefighters struggled to control the fire in Evros and late Saturday, the thick smoke forced the evacuation of the village of Dadias. It was not known how many people were evacuated.

View of the interior of a burnt house, as wildfire burns near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

A firefighting plane flies over wildfire burning near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

‘The most important thing for us is the safety of the villagers and all forces will be deployed there,’ Evros governor Dimitris Petrovits told Athens News Agency.

The fire had already passed the raptor birds observatory and was closing in on the buildings of the protected area management unit. Petrovits said collecting and treating injured animals was a high priority for authorities.

In the Peloponnese, a southern peninsula, a fire that broke out early Saturday forced the evacuation of Chrysokelaria village.

By midday on Sunday, firefighters had managed to contain the fire, which they said was in remission.

A wildfire in mountains near Athens on Wednesday also damaged homes and forced hundreds of people to evacuate after gale-force winds earlier this week. 

A firefighting helicopter flies over a burnt house, as wildfire burns near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24

A firefighting helicopter filled with water flies over the sea, as wildfire burns near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

The country’s worst wildfire disaster was in the coastal suburb of Mati, claiming 102 lives in 2018, close to the area affected by Wednesday’s blaze. 

On Saturday, a memorial service was held at the seaside town to commemorate the victims.

A heatwave and wildfires last year destroyed 103,000 hectares (255,000 acres) and claimed three lives in Greece.

The latest fires come after a heatwave and wildfires last year destroyed 103,000 hectares (255,000 acres) and claimed three lives in Greece.

Fires in parts of France, Spain and Portugal have already burned more land so far this year than was destroyed by flames in all of 2021. The area, some 517,881 hectares, is equivalent to the size of Trinidad and Tobago.

Experts blame climate change for the soaring temperatures – and warned that worse is yet to come. 

The flag of Greece is seen in the foreground as the smoke of the wildfire approaching Vatera coastal resort on Saturday

Pictured: A wooden beach bar corridor burns as wildfire rages near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece

Destroyed sunbeds and umbrellas are seen on a beach bar as a wildfire burns at the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos

Pictured: Firefighters rest as a wildfire burns at the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, on Saturday, July 23

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