Greece holidaymakers are being cautioned and issued travel advice after a fire broke out on the popular holiday island of Zante yesterday and continues to burn. Strong winds fanned the flames yesterday and are not expect to lessen before tomorrow, reported Reuters, making the task of dowsing the blaze more challenging. More than 100 firefighters and 28 fire engines were battling the fire yesterday alongside two water-bombing helicopters and four planes. Tourists at a hotel in the village of Keri were evacuated by authorities on Sunday.
The 120 holidaymakers were taken to another hotel by bus, local media has reported.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has now updated their travel advice to Zante.
“A wildfire has been reported on Zakynthos, close to Keri Village,” stated the FCO.
“One hotel and part of Keri village and Agialas have been evacuated. If you’re in the area, you should follow the advice of Greek authorities and monitor the website of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection.”
The FCO added: “Localised or severe weather extremes, including wildfires, can affect areas of Greece over the extended summer period.”
No fatalities have been reported from the fire on the island popular with British tourists.
“We evacuated about 300 residents and tourists from the villages of Keri and Agalas as a precaution,” a fire service spokesman told Reuters. “The fire is near homes.”
Schools in the villages of Keri and Agalas have also been closed and will only reopen when the blaze is under control.
Greece and its islands are hugely popular with British holidaymakers. According to the FCO: “British nationals make over three million visits to Greece every year.
“Most visits are trouble-free, but you should take sensible precautions to protect yourself and your belongings.”
One spot on the island of Zante that attracts many sun-worshippers is Navagio Beach, also known as Shipwreck Beach.
Travel site FlightNetwork voted it their number one top-secret beach in recent research.
They looked at the opinion of 1,200 travel journalists, editors, bloggers and agencies and scored the beaches on sheer untouched beauty, remoteness and quality of the sand and water.
Scoring a 10 out of 10 on sheer untouched beauty, Shipwreck Beach is just 50 minutes from Zakynthos International Airport.
It’s located in a secluded cove, is surrounded by towering golden cliffs and boasts turquoise water. Unsurprisingly, there’s also a shipwreck to explore. It scored eight out of 10 for both remoteness and sand and water quality.
The beach is only accessible by boat from Zakynthos harbour and is famous for its reputation as one of the best base-jumping locations in the world.