Dramatic moment hero fishermen join dramatic mission to save tourists trapped on Crete beaches as deadly wildfires rage

THIS is the dramatic moment hero fishermen rescued dozens of desperate holidaymakers stranded on Crete’s beaches as huge wildfires tore across Greek holiday islands. Footage shows the locals braving choppy waters to evacuate the terrified tourists. Fisherman battle choppy waves to rescue desperate holidaymakers Credit: Cretalive The sky turned black with smoke as boats tried to reach Greek islands Credit: Cretalive Ships cautiously approach the shoreline as holidaymakers rush into the water Credit: Cretalive Fishermen were packed out with terrified tourists Credit: Cretalive Footage shows the sky turning a terrifying shades of orange and black as a fleet of coast guard boats and fishermen’s vessels rushed to evacuate those stranded. Thousands of locals and Brit tourists have been evacuated from Crete after wildfires ripping through the island killed three firefighters. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Terrifying infernos fanned by violent winds have ravaged the packed Greek island at the peak of the summer season. Blazes also raged on the islands of Paros and Lesbos. Young fisherman Nikos Matthaiakis was ready at a moment’s notice to join the rescue effort on the coast of Crete. He leapt into action, telling Cretalive.gr: “We did our duty too… I was called by the Port Authority at 4 pm to be on standby. “They asked me for help and I gave it generously. I went with my fishing boat.” Flames tore through forests and farmland near Ierapetra on Crete Credit: Alamy Firefighters battled a blaze in Paros Credit: @slasher777/X The sea raged, whipped up by “hurricane-force” winds – but 30 people were trapped on a beach in Agios Pavlos on Crete’s southern coast. Most read in The Sun Nikos said: “It was stifling in terms of fire and smoke, but the winds were hurricane-force. They recorded up to 160kilometres of wind gusts (100miles).” He battled to the shore where tourists were waiting as the flames fast approached. Gas cylinders exploded as the island burned, causing deafening banging sounds. The young fisherman said: “The tavern and the accommodations were burning above. Some bottles also exploded. We could hear bangs.” Nikos ran several trips to shore, forging into the thick smoke to save everyone – including children and elderly people who struggled to climb into his boat. Late on Wednesday, some 8,000 people were evacuated as massive fires threatened a resort village, deputy governor of the Rethymno region Maria Lioni said. She said the flames had reached within less than a mile of the village. Terrifying infernos fanned by violent winds have ravaged Crete Credit: Reuters Three firefighters have been killed on the Greek holiday island Credit: Reuters It comes amid a spate of deadly wildfires wreaking havoc across Europe – including the UK – as the continent tackles record-breaking heatwaves. Flames in Spain and France are understood to be dying down, leaving Greece and Turkey to bear the brunt of the soaring temperatures. Two firefighters trapped on a mountain road near the Greek village of Krya Vrysi died as powerful winds kept changing direction. Another emergency worker was killed after being found unconscious near the southern Peloponnese port town of Gytheio. Lioni said: “It was a dark day.” Local authorities have dedicated over 200 firefighters and 53 fire engines in the Rethymno area in southwestern Crete. Nearly 100 firefighters were deployed to tackle a separate sprawling blaze on the Greek island of Lesbos. As temperatures soar past 40C, the holiday island of Paros has also been hit by Europe’s raging infernos, forcing ten areas into evacuation. And in Suffolk, hundreds of holidaymakers were evacuated in the middle of the night as a wildfire raced towards a popular seaside resort. Around 200 caravans were evacuated as a major incident was declared at the National Trust site Dunwich Heath. Comment now