Tourists flee as Greek wildfire hits resort; Croatia also fights blaze

Tourists and residents fled villages in the Halkidiki region of northern Greece by land and sea on Thursday as a wildfire fanned by strong winds engulfed houses and trees near a resort during the heart of the holiday season.



Heavy gusts also made firefighting difficult on Croatia's popular Dalmatian coast, where a stretch of a major highway was shut due to a blaze in the Lokva Rogoznica area south of the town of Omis, local media reported.



Across Europe, successive heatwaves this summer have intensified drought, strained water supplies and left vegetation tinder-dry, helping wildfires in Spain, France and Greece scorch near unprecedented amounts of land.