Village evacuated again as Lesvos blaze flares up

A major wildfire that has been burning – on and off – on Lesvos since Saturday, flared up again on Wednesday near Vrisa, some 50 kilometers west of the eastern Aegean island’s capital, Mytilini.

Just hours after they were allowed to go back home from the last evacuation two days ago, the residents of Vrisa were told to leave again, as the fire is being stoked by strong winds that are also making its course unpredictable.

The blaze has already razed hundreds of hectares of forestland in the island’s southwest and there are fears that bringing it under control will be a struggle given the persistent heatwave and the uptick of winds in the Aegean, as in other parts of the country.