Mass evacuations in Crete as wildfire tears through popular holiday destination

Firefighters have been battling the the wildfire

The wildfire has led to over a thousand people having to be evacuated as the BBC report the "wildfire continues to burn out of control".

The wildfire broke out in the south east of Crete, near the city of Ierapetra.

Flames have been fed by strong winds as well as the dry landscape leading to a blaze that is proving hard to tame.

The wildfire quickly spread, threatening homes, hotels and other vital pieces of infrastructure, including fuel stations.

Authorities have ordered the evacuation of homes, hotels and rental rooms in the Ferma municipality.

Reports claim around 1,500 have been evacuated with 200 sheltering in a local indoor sports arena.

Local emergency services say that the Crete wildfire is now extended to a length of at least 6km, making it hard to put out the blaze, notably as visibility reduces due to thick smoke.

Many homes and rental properties have been destroyed in the area of Agia Fotia where a power outage is ongoing and the fire is thought to have started.

Meanwhile, four elderly people were taken to hospital following issue relating to smoke inhalation.

As a precaution, all hospitals in Crete have been placed on alert by health authorities.

Since late last night, 155 firefighters, eight specialised foot teams and 38 fire engines are battling the blaze with further aid arriving by air.

Emergency alerts have been issued to the public throughout the day, calling for the evacuation of multiple locations.

Some people who were cut of by road had to be evacuated by boat from local beaches.