Sawt Falasteen - Greece declares emergency on Chios over wildfires

Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis said the decision was made so the authorities could "immediately take the necessary measures".

Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis called on island residents to exercise "the greatest caution" and follow official instructions.

Chios, in the northern Aegean Sea, is Greece's fifth-largest island and is currently facing five separate fire outbreaks.

Some 190 firefighters, 38 vehicles, 12 helicopters and four water-bombers have been deployed, the fire service said.

Kefalogiannis, who travelled to the island, said strong winds, estimated at force six on the Beaufort Scale were making the situation "very difficult".

Reinforcements were being deployed, he told Greek news site iEidiseis.

"If the wind dies down a bit we might be able to get this fire under control," he said.

"But the wind really hasn't dropped."

On Sunday, hundreds of asylum seekers were forced to move from a reception centre while seven villages were evacuated on Monday.

Island authorities feared the fire was dangerously close to fields of valuable mastic trees, whose aromatic sap is used in making chewing gum, alcoholic drinks and pharmaceuticals.

Mastic is the island's most famous product, designated part of its intangible cultural heritage by world heritage body UNESCO.

Greece is particularly vulnerable to fires in summer, fuelled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change.

Forecasts are predicting a heatwave in the coming days with temperatures of more than 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) expected, including in the capital Athens.

H.Darwish--SF-PST