Greece wildfires force tourists to be evacuated from hotels

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Image caption, Firefighters work to extinguish a wildfire near Athens in Greece

Emergency services are working to keep wildfires under control in Greece.

Firefighters have extinguished fires near the Greek capital of Athens, with large amounts of water being dumped on flames from the air.

But other blazes have become a problem across the country, particularly on the island of Chios and the popular holiday spot of Kos, with some tourists evacuated from their hotels to safer areas.

Strong winds and dry conditions have made things difficult for emergency services trying to deal with the fires and some locals have had to leave their homes before they were destroyed.

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What does this mean for tourism in Greece?

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Image caption, Here you can see water being dropped on a wildfire near a town called Stamata, which is close to Athens

Authorities in Greece have warned of a difficult fire season for the country, with July and August being the busiest months for tourists visiting.

So far this year, Greece has had its earliest heatwave on record, with temperatures hitting 44 degrees Celsius in June.

It's not yet known how the blazes began, but the quick actions of emergency services are being praised.

Greece's Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said that not only has the hard work of the emergency services kept areas on fire to a minimum, but also kept as many people safe as possible.

What caused these wildfires in Greece?

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Image caption, The quick work of firefighters kept the spread of blazes as small as possible

Wildfires are not unusual for the country.

Greece experienced wildfires last year, with thousands of people evacuated from the Greek islands of Rhodes and Corfu.