Firefighters race to contain wildfires in Greece as thousands evacuated, 2 die in Turkey

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Firefighters battled blazes Thursday near Athens and on the island of Crete, where thousands were forced to flee holiday resorts, while blazes in neighboring Turkey claimed at least two lives.

More than 5,000 tourists, hotel workers and residents were evacuated from the Ierapetra area along Crete’s southern coast, authorities and hotel association officials said. A small number of people fled into the sea and were rescued by local fishermen and divers.

Ierapetra Mayor Manolis Frangoulis said firefighters working to prevent flare-ups and take advantage of a lull in high winds. “Thankfully no one was hurt but it's a difficult situation," he said.

Displaced tourists were relocated to other hotels or spent the night in an indoor basketball stadium. Several homes and businesses were damaged. Volunteers found dead farm animals, some burned alive while chained inside sheds. Separately, a wildfire near the port of Rafina, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) east of Athens disrupted local ferry services to the islands. Police went door-to-door to assist elderly residents while carrying out an evacuation order. In western Turkey, a local forestry worker was killed while trying to contain the fire near the town of Odemis, and an 81-year-old resident died from smoke inhalation, authorities said. It marked the first fatalities in a series of wildfires that have forced thousands to flee.

Meanwhile, hundreds of firefighters, supported by aircraft and helicopters, were deployed to battle a wildfire near the Aegean coastal town of Cesme, a popular vacation destination about 190 kilometers (120 miles) west of Odemis.

That fire, which began Wednesday, forced the evacuation of three neighborhoods and led to road closures. Television footage showed flames racing through dry vegetation on both sides of a highway.

Over the past week, Turkey has battled hundreds of wildfires fueled by strong winds, extreme heat and low humidity. Now mostly under control, the blazes have damaged or destroyed about 200 homes.

Summer wildfires are common in both Greece and Turkey, where experts warn that climate change is intensifying conditions.

Late Wednesday, Turkey’s parliament adopted a landmark climate law targeting net-zero emissions by 2053. The legislation includes measures to establish a carbon market board to oversee efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The law comes at a time when Turkey is increasingly grappling with issues related to climate change, from searing heatwaves to prolonged droughts, experts say.

A helicopter drops water to extinguish a fire in Cesme, near Izmir, Turkey, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Cengiz Malgir/Dia Photo via AP)

A fire rages across a forest area in Cesme, near Izmir, Turkey, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Cengiz Malgir/Dia Photo via AP)

Cars drive past a fire in Cesme, near Izmir, Turkey, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Cengiz Malgir/Dia Photo via AP)

A fire rages near windmills in Cesme, near Izmir, Turkey, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Cengiz Malgir/Dia Photo via AP)

A house lies among scorched trees near the town of Ierapetra on the south coast of Crete island, Greece, Thursday, July 3, 2025, after a fast-moving wildfire prompted the evacuation of villages and coastal areas, officials said. (InTime News via AP)

A firefighter uses a hose as he tries to extinguish the blaze near the town of Ierapetra on the south coast of Crete island, Greece, Thursday July 3, 2025, as a fast-moving wildfire prompted authorities to clear villages and coastal areas, officials said. (InTime News via AP)

Firefighter uses a hose as the try to extinguish the blaze near the town of Ierapetra on the south coast of Crete island, Greece, Thursday July 3, 2025, as a fast-moving wildfire prompted authorities to clear villages and coastal areas, officials said. (InTime News via AP)

Firefighter uses a hose as the try to extinguish the blaze near the town of Ierapetra on the south coast of Crete island, Greece, Thursday July 3, 2025, as a fast-moving wildfire prompted authorities to clear villages and coastal areas, officials said. (InTime News via AP)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday fired off another warning to the government of Cuba as the close ally of Venezuela braces for potential widespread unrest after Nicolás Maduro was deposed as Venezuela's leader.

Cuba, a major beneficiary of Venezuelan oil, has now been cut off from those shipments as U.S. forces continue to seize tankers in an effort to control the production, refining and global distribution of the country's oil products.

Trump said on social media that Cuba long lived off Venezuelan oil and money and had offered security in return, “BUT NOT ANYMORE!”

“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA - ZERO!” Trump said in the post as he spent the weekend at his home in southern Florida. “I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.” He did not explain what kind of deal.

The Cuban government said 32 of its military personnel were killed during the American operation last weekend that captured Maduro. The personnel from Cuba’s two main security agencies were in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, as part of an agreement between Cuba and Venezuela.

“Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years,” Trump said Sunday. “Venezuela now has the United States of America, the most powerful military in the World (by far!), to protect them, and protect them we will.”

Trump also responded to another account’s social media post predicting that his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, will be president of Cuba: “Sounds good to me!” Trump said.

Trump and top administration officials have taken an increasingly aggressive tone toward Cuba, which had been kept economically afloat by Venezuela. Long before Maduro's capture, severe blackouts were sidelining life in Cuba, where people endured long lines at gas stations and supermarkets amid the island’s worst economic crisis in decades.

Trump has said previously that the Cuban economy, battered by years of a U.S. embargo, would slide further with the ouster of Maduro.

“It’s going down,” Trump said of Cuba. “It’s going down for the count.”

A person watches the oil tanker Ocean Mariner, Monrovia, arrive to the bay in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

President Donald Trump attends a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)