Fires rampage through forests in Greece, thousands evacuated

Wildfires are rampaging through massive swaths of Greece’s last remaining forests for yet another day and encroaching on inhabited areas amid the country's worst heat wave in decades

THRAKOMAKEDONES, Greece -- Wildfires rampaged through massive swaths of Greece’s last remaining forests for yet another day Saturday, encroaching on more inhabited areas after burning scores of homes, businesses and farms. In neighboring Turkey, fires described as the worst in decades have swept through stretches of the country’s southern coast for the past 10 days, killing eight people. A fire threatening the Greek capital's most important national park killed one volunteer firefighter, while at least 20 people have been injured in blazes during the country's worst heat wave in 30 years. Thousands of residents and vacationers have fled approaching flames by land and by sea. In apocalyptic scenes overnight and into Saturday, ferries evacuated 1,153 people from a seaside village and beaches on Evia, an island of rugged, forested mountains popular with holidaymakers and campers, after flames from a massive wildfire burning for days cut off all other means of escape. People clutched babies and carried older adults on chairs as they boarded the small ferries to safety.