By Alexandra Snow
Hotels and residences at a top Greek tourist hotspot have been evacuated due to rapidly spreading wildfires . Evacuation orders were issued for three areas in Crete, near the southern port of Ierapetra. As the flames tore through hillside forests , fanned by powerful winds, hotels and homes suffered severe damage. The fires illuminated the night sky, cresting over hills and inching towards residential zones. A few locals were treated for breathing issues, officials reported, but no serious injuries have been immediately reported. Authorities said more than 1,500 people so far had been moved out of homes and hotels, with the number expected to increase overnight. Over 150 firefighters are battling the blaze, while water-dropping aircraft remained grounded overnight. 鈥淚t’s a very difficult situation. The fire is very hard to contain. Right now, they cannot contain it,鈥 Nektarios Papadakis, a civil protection official at the regional authority, told the Associated Press. 鈥淭he tourists who were moved out are all okay. They have been taken to an indoor basketball arena and hotels in other regions of the island,鈥 he said. Earlier this week, Greek authorities issued a ‘very high’ fire alert for six major regions as the country continues to experience extreme heat and dry conditions. The Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection has issued a Category 4 Fire Risk Alert as wildfires continue to wreak havoc on large portions of the Greek landscape. The Fire Service and a civil protection agency issued localised mobile phone alerts for the evacuations and appealed to residents not to return to try and save their property. This comes after the mass evacuations in Turkey due to raging wildfires. Temperatures across European countries including Greece, Spain and Italy has surpassed 40C, which combined with dry weather, massively increases the likelihood of wildfires. For the past three days, forest fires fuelled by strong winds have caused chaos in 陌zmir, a western region popular with Brit holidaymakers. Those arriving in the area have filmed the sky ablaze above the city of 2.9 million, with massive smoke plumes rising from the parched countryside. Helicopter pilots and ground-based firefighters are joining forces with local residents determined to protect their land and homes. They have employed tractors with water trailers and helicopters carrying water to quench the scorched hillsides. For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here .