A fire broke out very near the antiquities of Knossos on the island of Crete on Tuesday, forcing the temporary evacuation of the archaeological site.

According to local media, information indicates that the fire was caused by a failure in an electrical transformer of the Public Power Corporation (PPC.)

Alarm sounded at the Fire Department of Heraklion for the fire at noon time, 16 firefighters with six engines were immediately deployed to the site.

According to information obtained from creta24.gr, the fire broke out in the parking lot of Knossos and was caused by a failure in an electrical transformer.

Firefighters deemed as necessary the temporary evacuation of the archaeological site from visitors and personnel.

Power supply problems have been recorded in areas of Heraklion, the local news website reported.

The fire was quickly contained, however, in an updated report short before 5 p.m. creta24.gr noted that the Minoan Palace was still without  electricity and therefore, the ticket offices and toilets were not working.

According to available information, this situation would continue for the next 2 to 3 hours as the damage in the electricity transformer was not small.

The outdated electricity system is often the cause of wildfires in Greece, next to arson and negligence.