By Hannah Ahmed
Parts of Turkey and Greece are facing mass evacuation as wildfires sweep the region. Wildfires raged overnight in Izmir and the surrounding areas of Western Turkey, while in Crete, the eastern area of the island faced an outbreak of flames yesterday evening. Evacuation orders have been put in place across the affected areas of Turkey, with over 2,500 officials said to have been deployed to calm the flames. Reports from earlier this week suggested the flames had spread through Izmir, Alia臒a, Gaziemir, Manisa, Menderes, Seferihisar and the Hatay region , the air quality monitoring association, IQ Air said. Eight firefighting planes, 12 helicopters and a fleet of fire trucks and specialised equipment were spotted on the scene. According to reports, over 100 homes have been destroyed already as the blaze sweeps through the region, as a terrified resident shared how the “extremely strong” wind meant that the fire ‘couldn’t be brought under control.’ READ MORE: 50,000 evacuated in Turkish hotspots as wildfires rage They added on X: “We are experiencing a terrifying process where electricity is cut off; we cannot reach friends and family because not every network is working; and the highway has been closed as a precaution.” In Crete, similar scenes have been spotted of fires engulfing the eastern portion of the island near Lerapetra, forcing an estimated number of 1,500 people to be evacuated from hotels and houses as the local authorities try to tackle the flames. The Coast Guard said two people were reportedly evacuated by boat overnight, while six private boats were placed on standby for any evacuations by sea, the Express reported. Footage taken from the island showed locals and tourists scrambling to leave the island in vehicles in a bid to escape the flames. READ MORE: UK tourists in Turkey must follow five rules as wildfires rage on Around 145 firefighters, eight on-foot units and 25 vehicles were on the scene within the last hour attempting to tame the wildfires as they continued to rage on. Nektarios Papadakis, a civil protection official at the regional authority, told the Associated Press said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very difficult situation. The fire is very hard to contain. Right now, they cannot contain it. 鈥淭he tourists who were moved out are all ok. They have been taken to an indoor basketball arena and hotels in other regions of the island.鈥 The situation in Greece and Turkey is ongoing, with further updates on the wildfires set to continue throughout the day.