Tourists evacuated: Greek island Lesbos engulfed in flames

Hundreds of tourists and residents have been forced to evacuate the Greek island of Lesbos, as wildfires rage across Europe.

The fire in Lesbos, Greece, initially broke out on Saturday morning, July 23rd, near the beach resort of Vatera.

This comes as a consequence of intense temperatures soaring to 42C, low humidity and strong winds. The smoke plume can be seen below on the WeatherRadar satellite, blowing south-westwards nearly 200km away.

Further fires are ablaze elsewhere in the country, including Greece's Dadia National Park, where over 300 firefighters and six aircraft are battling to save Greece's biggest Natura 2000 site.

Greece has been badly hit by wildfires recently, following record-breaking heat across much of Europe.

A wildfire in Athens earlier in the week also damaged several homes, and last year, wildfires claimed 300,000 acres of land across Greece.

Whilst wildfires are not uncommon in the Mediterranean region during summer, their severity and persistence is worsening; the UK has been experiencing wildfires too.