Tourists caught up in the wildfire on Crete spoke of their ordeal on Thursday (July 30) after being evacuated by land and sea from popular tourist areas.

Hundreds of tourists and residents were evacuated from nine settlements and villages in the Rethymno region, including the popular tourist area of Agia Galini, by coast guard boats or vehicles and sheltered in public buildings or hotels overnight in other areas of the island.

Many of the tourists spent the night in a gymnasium in the town of Moires, where they were given cots, meals and supplies and assisted by the Hellenic Red Cross.

“It was frightening…we could see the flames in the hills above the village, and the police and firefighters were just telling everyone to leave straight away,” said British tourist Peter Wood, who was staying in Agia Galini.

“You know, I am just happy that we are still here,” said tourist Lerma Kaprina from the Netherlands, who was also on holiday in Agia Galini.

Greek tourism worker Lia Galata, from Thessaloniki, called it a nightmare, recalling the flames and smoke as she scrambled to board a boat.

Greek coast guard vessels evacuated 31 people from the settlement of Agios Pavlos late on Wednesday, where Galata was working for the season.

“I didn’t know what I was going to die from, from the fire or from the ash that was choking me in the air, or from drowning in the sea,” she said.

On Thursday more than 200 firefighters with dozens of fire engines assisted by water-carrying aircraft were still battling the fires on the island, where agricultural crops and olive groves as well as some homes were damaged. Strong winds hindered efforts.

On Wednesday (July 29), two Greek firefighters died battling the blazes on Crete and one on the mainland.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

'We lived through a nightmare,' tourists and visitors recall being evacuated from Crete wildfire

VIDEO SHOWS: TOURISTS SLEEPING INSIDE A GYMNASIUM, TOURISTS AROUND GYMNASIUM, ON BASKETBALL COURTS /TOURISTS COMMENTING ON FIRES/TOURIST TOWN THEY WERE EVACUATED FROM

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: CRETE, GREECE (JULY 30, 2026)(REUTERS – Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF INTERIORS OF MOIRES INDOOR GYMNASIUM, IN THE TOWN OF MOIRES, WHERE RESIDENTS AND TOURISTS SPENT THE NIGHT AFTER BEING EVACUATED FROM SETTLEMENTS AND VILLAGES DUE TO THE FIRE, TOURISTS SLEEPING ON COTS, AROUND COTS

2. VARIOUS OF TOURISTS PLAYING BASKETBALL AND SITTING AROUND BASKETBALL COURT AT GYMNASIUM

3. BRITISH TOURIST, PETER WOOD, SITTING ON COURT

4. (SOUNDBITE)(English) EVACUATED BRITISH TOURIST, PETER WOOD, SAYING:

“It was frightening, yes, we could see the flames in the hills above the village, and the police and firefighters were just telling everybody to leave straight away.”

5. RED CROSS WORKERS SPEAKING TO TOURISTS

6. TOURISTS AROUND GYMNASIUM

7. TOURIST, CRYSTAL MARKADAK FROM THE PHILIPPINES WALKING

8. (SOUNDBITE)(English) FILIPINO TOURIST, CRYSTAL MARKADAK, EVACUATED BY BOAT FROM AGIOS PAVLOS, SAYING:

“Around three o’clock we received some alarm that there is some fire from Krya Vrisi it's far away it's 15-20 minutes away, then around 4:30 they said it's coming nearby. Then around six o'clock we got rescued, we need to go to the sea to be rescued by the boat.”

9. CRYSTAL MARKADAK WALKING AT GYMNASIUM

10. (SOUNDBITE)(English) FILIPINO TOURIST, CRYSTAL MARKADAK, SAYING:

“It’s so trauma, it is first time in my life happen, but we are thankful that we are safe now.”

11. VARIOUS OF WET CLOTHES DRYING ON GROUND

12. DUTCH TOURIST, LERMA KAPRINA, WALKING

13. (SOUNDBITE)(English) EVACUATED DUTCH TOURIST, LERMA KAPRINA, SAYING:

“So for us it was totally a surprise, but um yeah, and now we are here and I don’t know what we have to do, so we will see.”

14. TOURISTS OUTSIDE GYMNASIUM LOOKING AT PHONES

15. (SOUNDBITE)(English) DUTCH TOURIST, LERMA KAPRINA, SAYING:

“You know, I am just happy that we are still here.”

16. RED CROSS WORKERS AT GYM TO HELP TOURISTS

17. RED CROSS WORKERS SPEAKING TO TOURISTS

18. TOURISM SEASONAL WORKER, LIA GALATA, FROM THE GREEK CITY OF THESSALONIKI, WALKING WRAPPED IN A BLANKET

19. (SOUNDBITE)(Greek) TOURISM SEASONAL WORKER, LIA GALATA, FROM THE GREEK CITY OF THESSALONIKI, EVACUATED BY BOAT, SAYING:

“We barely made it, if you can imagine we were running and the fire was behind us, chasing us, thank god that a boat came….they were throwing us in, they were telling us ‘quickly quickly!’ everything there was burning, it was a nightmare, we lived through a nightmare.”

20. VARIOUS OF COAST GUARD BOAT AT THE DOCK OF POPULAR TOURIST TOWN OF AGIA GALINI, WHICH TOOK PART IN THE EVACUATION

21. (SOUNDBITE)(Greek) TOURISM SEASONAL WORKER, LIA GALATA, FROM THE GREEK CITY OF THESSALONIKI, SAYING:

“I didn’t know what I was going to die from, from the fire or from the ash that was choking me in the air, or from drowning in the sea, I don’t know, it was insane.”

22. PORT OF AGIA GALINI, WITH VARIOUS BOATS DOCKED, SOME OF WHICH TOOK PART IN THE EVACUATION

23. VARIOUS OF THE POPULAR TOURIST TOWN OF AGIA GALINI FROM WHERE THE TOURISTS WERE EVACUATED