Read at 3 different speeds

Nature's fury - 11th August 2021

Greek islanders have been evacuated from their island home Evia in their droves. Scorching forest fires and soaring temperatures have engulfed the island.

Neighbouring Turkey had also been engulfed in flames, but rain at the weekend has helped to extinguish some of the fires. Greece was less fortunate and the wildfires are still blazing whilst the temperatures soar.

The blazes on Greece's second largest island, Evia, have reduced thousands of homes and hectares to ash. Konstantinos Triantafyllou is amongst the many locals trying to fight the fires.

Konstantinos Triantafyllou: "They burned us, they burned a paradise. They have no shame!"

International help is now beginning to arrive and firefighting planes have been sent from the mainland. Nevertheless, locals criticise the Greek government for their lack of action.

Giannis Selimis: "We are in a tragic situation. We are left in God's hands. We do whatever we can with our own means. The state is absent."

The rugged landscape and thick pine forests on Evia are feeding the wildfires and proving to be an almost impossible challenge for firefighters.

Scores of islanders have already been evacuated, with older residents being carried across the sandy beaches to ferries that have moored off the island's famous beaches.

For many, like pensioner Louisa, the fear is that when they return, all will have been lost.

Louisa: "People lived off the forests, the crops, the olives, raising livestock and tourism. None of that is left now."