Fisherman Nikos Matthaiakis from Agia Galini described the dramatic moments he experienced during a sea evacuation operation at Agios Pavlos, as the wildfire in Rethymno was raging.

With the sea violently rough and the fire reaching the coastline, Mr Matthaiakis said: “We did our duty as well. I was called by the Port Authority at around 4 p.m. and asked to be on standby. They requested my help and I gladly provided it. I went there with my fishing boat, the Agios Spyridon.”

“The conditions were suffocating because of the fire and smoke, but the winds were like a hurricane. Imagine that wind gusts reached up to 160 kilometres per hour,” he told cretalive.gr.

“At the corner of Agios Pavlos, people had become trapped. Above them, the taverna and the accommodation facilities were burning. Some gas cylinders exploded. We could hear the ‘bangs’. I approached with my small boat. I know the area very well. I managed to get close with great difficulty. It was far from easy,” he said.

“I have been a fisherman since I was born… My father was also a fisherman. We have experienced fires before, but this disaster—having people trapped on the beach—I experienced it for the first time. And I do not want to experience it again. It is emotionally devastating to see someone desperately trying to survive, watching their property burn, while gas cylinders are exploding,” he said.

“The reeds at the accommodation facilities had caught fire and sparks were falling onto the boat. We put them out with the hose. We could have suffered damage ourselves; the boat could have caught fire,” he added.

The small fishing boat was unable to transport all of the people trapped in the area. Among them were elderly individuals who had difficulty even boarding the vessel. Nevertheless, the fisherman made repeated trips, putting himself at risk.

“There were around 30 people gathered there. There were also some elderly people. They could not easily get onto the boat. The weather conditions were terrible. I made three trips because my boat is small,” he said.

The rescue operation was completed thanks to the cooperation of everyone involved. The stranded people were initially transported aboard the Agios Spyridon, then transferred onto Coast Guard vessels and taken away safely.