Greece travel advice updated as all major fires contained

Firefighters were able to get a handle on the blazes in Greece and all major fires were contained by midday Friday as a result of a drop in temperatures and calmer winds, Greek Fire Service officials said.

Europe’s Mediterranean regions also saw conditions improve thanks to cooler temperatures, allowing firefighters to contain wildfires along the Croatian coast and in Sicily.

Firefighting teams in Turkey also brought a wildfire burning close to the southern Mediterranean resort of Kemer under control, four days after it erupted, Ibrahim Yumakli, the country’s forestry minister, said.

Wildfires have recently devastated parts of Europe (Image: Petros Giannakouris/AP)

Greece updates travel advice as wildfires are contained

Travel advice for those thinking about heading to Greece has been updated with information about the wildfires and the associated state of emergency.

The UK government website describes a state of emergency as: “an administrative measure designed to facilitate state aid in the aftermath of a crisis such as wildfires. It is not a reflection of the current risk to safety.”

Since wildfires are so unpredictable and dangerous, they can change quickly and you can follow “112 Greece” on Twitter for updates.

What to do if you’re travelling to an area or near areas affected by wildfires

Before you travel to an area where wildfires have occurred or near where they have, you should get in touch with your travel operator or accommodation provider to check it isn’t currently affected.

Having appropriate travel insurance is vital, the UK government website explains.

It should cover your itinerary, planned activities and expenses in an emergency.

You should research your destinations too.

Before travelling, you can read the support for British nationals abroad guide on the government website.

People were evacuated from their accomodation during the wildfires (Image: Ian Murison/AP)

What to do if you find yourself in or near areas affected by wildfires

You should:

• Follow guidance issued by the emergency services
• If you are in immediate danger, you should call the Greek Emergency Services on 112
• Get in touch with your airline or travel operator who can help you with return travel to the UK
• Enable the “Emergency Alerts” option on your phone to receive the Greek government’s emergency alerts
• Make sure you read the Greek government’s protection guidelines if a forest fire occurs
• Register via the Greek government’s Emergency Communication Service (in Greek)

How to turn Emergency Alerts on

The Greek government’s emergency alerts can be turned on so those visiting the country can be alerted should they need to know about an emergency.

If you have an iPhone, you’ll need to open settings and then notifications. The emergency alerts option at the bottom will need to be enabled.

Users of Android 11 or higher will need to open settings and go to notifications then advanced settings followed by wireless emergency alerts.

If you use a Samsung device, go to settings then apps followed by messages, notifications and emergency notifications. You’ll then need to enable the emergency alerts option.

Foreign visitors of Rhodes can ask for advice from the Crisis Management Unit which was set up by the Greek government to facilitate evacuation due to the forest fires.

They can be contacted on the following numbers:

• +30 210 368 1730
• +30 210 368 1259
• +30 210 368 1350

You can call the UK government’s 24-hour helpline on +44 20 7008 5000 if you are a British national and need consular assistance.