Tourists have been forced to flee forest fires in Greece on fishing boats, as high temperatures continued to plague most of Western Europe. A wall of flames 3km long and up to 30 metres high is closing in on resorts on the Halkidiki peninsula, south of the city of Thessaloniki, ERT public television reported. Nearly 500 tourists were evacuated by sea in small boats, many carrying children in their arms. Patrol and fire boats and fishing vessels were involved in the operation, the coastguard said in a statement.A fire service spokesman said the evacuation on Thursday had to be by sea as the flames were getting too close to the beaches to evacuate by land. “Our ⁠effort is focused on extinguishing the fire and the safe transport of people,” fire brigade spokesman Giannis Artopios told the Protothema news site.Greece, like most of Europe, is badly affected by fires this year, with about 40 blazes reported across the country, including nine that remain out of control. Successive heatwaves this summer ​have intensified drought, strained water supplies and left vegetation tinder-dry, enabling wildfires in Spain, France and Greece to scorch vast areas of land. Firefighters battle a wildfire in Omis, Croatia. ReutersShow caption: Firefighters battle a wildfire in Omis, Croatia. ReutersIn western Germany, more than 2,000 people were evacuated from their homes early on Friday ​after a wildfire near the Belgian border spread towards the ⁠village of Gey. Unexploded ammunitionMayor Stephan Cranen said that although the evacuation had been completed, the situation was critical and the flames were around 300 metres from the village, regional public broadcaster WDR reported. One of the out-of-control wildfires had spread overnight ​towards a former munitions depot in the ‌nearby town of ⁠Dueren, Mr Cranen said.Unexploded Second World War ammunition remains in some of the surrounding ​forest because ‌the hilly terrain prevented complete clearance of the area, and ⁠occasional detonations were heard during the wildfire, firefighters were ⁠quoted as saying.In the UK, London recorded its hottest day of the year on Thursday, with the mercury hitting 38.1°C, a tenth of a degree higher than the previous high set on June 28. Firefighters were tackling blazes in several locations in central England, with houses burnt down in the West Midlands. The region's mayor, Richard Parker, described the multiple fires as an “extremely worrying and fast-moving situation”.In Croatia, forest fires spread to the seaside town of Lokva Rogoznica, near Split, injuring 19 people and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents and tourists, local authorities said. Croatia's fire chief, Slavko Tucakovic, described it as the worst blaze in the country's history. London recorded its hottest day of the year on Thursday. ReutersShow caption: London recorded its hottest day of the year on Thursday. Reu…“Around two in the morning, the fire spread very rapidly, driven by strong winds that kept shifting direction. It was a terrifying sight,” Mr Tucakovic told national radio on Friday. “Numerous houses, cafes, restaurants, cars and boats that were hauled out of the water were damaged.” In France, fires were picking up again on Friday in the south-western area of Les Landes, burning through more than 1,000 hectares of land as temperatures again crossed the 40°C threshold. The area witnessed major fires last month that led to the evacuation of 220,000 people.