any news whats happening locally?????have just seen a newsreport not much details...

Hello everyone, my sister and her husband are trying to find their parents. They just flew over there from NYC and were driving to there parent's house in hanioti. Is everything their destroyed? I was just their last year with her. I am very worried about their parents. Can someone please give me an update on Hanioti?

Hello everyone, I am e-mailing from Morgantown WV and would like an update on the conditions there I am the sisiter of the young lady who e-mailed from NYC and we are worried about our family that is visiting Greece!

Forest fire strikes Greek resorts

Holidaymaker Jo Leaney sent the BBC this picture of the fire raging
Hundreds of tourists and residents have been forced to flee onto beaches in northern Greece by a forest fire that raged out of control, say reports.
The fire is said to have burned on several fronts on the Halkidiki peninsula, south of Thessaloniki.

One British holidaymaker at a Halkidiki resort, Jo Leaney, told the BBC the fire had raced down from nearby hills and forced her out of her apartment.

The fire comes at the hottest time of year and during a prolonged dry spell.

The BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Athens says the temperature on Monday was about 42C (107F) and the flames were fanned by a seasonal northern wind called the Meltemi.

Three fingers of land jut out from the Halkidiki peninsula, with the westernmost, Kassandra, affected by the fire.



Ms Leaney told the BBC she had been in her apartment with others when she spotted the flames in the hills.

The rooms "suddenly filled with smoke" and they fled to the beach "with only the belongings we had on us", along with other tourists and local residents.

She said people were walking along the beach shouting the names of family members.

Homes, hotels and campsites have been evacuated. No injuries have been reported.

A local resident, Dimitri Lianais, told the BBC it was "very very windy. A few thousand actually have been on the beach and then the wind changed and they fled to different directions".

He said his home was among those damaged.

'Dodging ash'

The villages of Hanioti and Pefkohori are among the resorts on the Halkidiki peninsula which have been affected.

In Pefkohori, the beach is said to be packed with thousands of people, many preparing to sleep out on sunbeds.

Craig Shakespeare, who is in Hanioti with his girlfriend Lyndsey Jones, spotted the flames on hills he estimated were several miles (km) away from his hotel balcony.


Holidaymaker Lyndsey Jones sent this picture from Hanioti

"I hoped the fire was contained, but literally within five minutes trees 300 yards (275m) from us were on fire," he told the BBC.

"The wind was blowing, and the flames were going everywhere." He said he was "dodging hot ash" as he fled to the nearby beach.

Mr Shakespeare said hundreds of tourists, the majority Greek, were gathered on the beach.

He said he had been told his hotel was on fire, along with some other buildings in Hanioti, but that he was now informed that the fire was contained to the main road.

Some 2,000 British tourists are estimated to be among the holidaymakers in the region.

The UK Foreign Office has set up a phone number for worried relatives: 020 7008 1500.



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Have you been affected by the fire? Are you in the area? Send us your comments and experiences using the form below.
You can send your pictures and video to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 07725 100 100.

Nio damage to hotels in area of fore - some villas in woods destroyed - all main roads remained passable so people could evacuate by car. heard on news that a german tourist possibly died in an accident while evacuating ?

the German tourist died of heart attack

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Nikos
Forum Admin
nikos at halkidiki.com

I am off to Pefkohori on Thursday to the resort of Lolly Village, does any one have any news about what has happened in this resort?? Is it all fine or is it on fire??? Could anyone reply back to me please, thankyou <3 xxx

Hi

My partner and I will be flying out to Anna Maria Apartments in pefkohori on Wednesday 30th August NEXT WEEK!. Has anyone recieved any information on damage?. We are hoping that the area is ok. Can anyone please help with any information on this area.

Designkode@yahoo.co.uk if anyone can email me.

Thanks for any help.

Ian & Lucy

Hope all at the Anna Maria & Steve (Olympic Rep) are ok. See you on 7th Sept....

Dani.