Greece wildfires: Sky turns red as people evacuate Evia island

A specialised team of British firefighters is preparing to battle fierce wildfires on Greece’s second largest island as their Greek counterparts toil amid apocalyptic scenes to save lives and property. The team of 21 experienced firefighters was expected to be deployed to the Aegean island of Evia shortly after their arrival in Athens on Sunday evening. The heavily forested island has been devastated by fires which have burned for days, charring huge areas of pine woodland, incinerating homes and forcing both locals and tourists to evacuate by sea. The Greek coastguard has evacuated more than 2,000 people from the island in dramatic sea rescues in the last few days, against a backdrop of burning trees and blood-red skies. The fires on the island are the most severe of dozens that have broken out during the most intense heat wave in Greece for 30 years. Read more here: Subscribe to The Telegrap