Tourists rescued by boat as forest fire threatens Greek beaches

A fleet of small boats evacuated dozens of tourists from beaches in northern Greece as a forest fire bore down on two popular resorts.

Water bombing planes and helicopters and almost 150 firefighters tried to tackle the flames spreading across the Halkidiki peninsula, south of the city of Thessaloniki, the fire service said.

Two injured firefighters were taken to hospital, the service said.

The fire bore down on homes around the popular resorts of Siviri and Fourka, which are packed with summer tourists. The region is dominated by flammable pine forests.

Tourists still in bathing costumes, many with children in their arms, were evacuated by sea in 15 small boats brought into service for the emergency, ERT public television reported.

Dozens queued on a pontoon waiting to flee as smoke blotted out the sky over the resorts, according to images broadcast by ERT.

There were also traffic jams of cars trying to leave Fourka and Siviri.

It said a three kilometer (1.8 mile) long wall of flames up to 30 metres (100 feet) high was closing in on the resorts.

"We are on the beach and looking for a way to get away," Sophia, a home owner in the region who only gave her first name, told AFP by phone.

"From where we are, we can see that flames have reached the town and the houses."

Firefighters said strong winds made the battle difficult.

The Greek authorities had issued a maximum five alert for fires for much of the Greek mainland.

Halkidiki authorities had banned the public from entering the region's pine forests.

Weather forecasters have predicted winds of up to 100 kilometers (60 miles) an hour on Friday.

Greece is badly hit by wildfires every year. And experts say the risk is growing because of human-fuelled climate change that has made droughts and other weather phenomena more extreme.

Already this month, two crew from a helicopter helping to battle a forest fire near Athens died when their aircraft collided with another in mid-air.

The fire destroyed 110 square kilometers (42 square miles) of forest.