UK tourists in Greece warned 'move away' and told 'it's like a war film'

UK tourists and holidaymakers have been issued an "emergency" alert as a fire rips through Greek islands. Firefighters have already encountered severe wildfires this June, with British holidaymakers and those with trips to the European Union holiday hotspot planned warned.

It comes as both emergency services and Greek officials anticipate the extreme blazes will only intensify. On Sunday, Vassilis Kikilias, the Greek government's Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister issued an emergency warning after the the islands of Chios and Kos experienced dangerous wildfires on Monday.

He said: "Today in Attica two extremely dangerous fires that broke out in residential areas and spread rapidly due to strong winds in Keratea and Stamata were tackled." Vasilis Vathrakogiannis, a spokesman for the Greek fire service, said during an emergency press briefing on the same day that it was the "hardest day" of the year so far for his team.

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He said: "Today is the hardest that the Fire Brigade has faced in this year’s firefighting season." One message sent to Brit holidaymakers read: "If you are in Kardamena Kos move away to Antimachia," and urged tourists to follow instructions from the local authorities".

Holiday firm TUI added: "We are currently on standby and awaiting information from civil protection. Please liaise with your hotel reception teams who are in touch with local authorities to get advice on the next steps." Clare Smith, 38, who is on holiday in Kos with her husband and nine-year-old daughter, told Sky News the situation had "got significantly worse" over the day, with "thick plumes of black smoke" billowing into the sky.

"Everyone is anxious," Ms Smith said. "It's really windy here, it will be like a tinderbox," she said. "The sky is covered in smoke. You feel like you're in the apocalypse, or some sort of war film." During a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said: "It is a summer which is expected to be particularly dangerous [for wildfires]... the most difficult times are still ahead of us."

He added: "We have had an exceptionally difficult June regarding weather conditions, with high levels of drought and unusually strong winds for this season."