Berlin (dpa) - Demonstrators took to streets of several German cities Wednesday to urge Germany and the European Union to take in rescued migrants after a Greek refugee camp on the island of Lebsos was nearly razed in a fire.

Some 3,000 people took part in an event in Berlin on Wednesday evening, police said, while 1,800 were reported to have met in Leipzig, more than 1,200 in Hamburg and 300 participants were reported in Frankfurt.

They urged the immediate evacuation of all camps on the Greek islands and demanded that EU countries take in the refugees.

Individual member states would have to take the lead because a European solution was not in sight, the German refugee aid organization "Seebruecke" said.

European officials say the fate of some 12,600 now homeless migrants from the Moria refugee camp needs to be addressed as a top priority.

The International League for Human Rights also attended the rallies whose motto was "We have space!". Demonstrators carried placards with slogans including "Evacuate Moria" and "Shame on you, EU."

An evacuation of the Moria camp was necessary because of the unsustainable hygiene conditions there before the fire, speakers said.

The blaze has shone a harsh light on European policies that left 12,600 crowded in a camp designed for about a fifth of that number. Some of the camp's residents have been waiting for months for the chance to leave the facility and travel onwards.