Wildfires rage across Greece, forcing evacuations near Athens and on tourist islands as winds hit 130 km/h

Fires near the capital

A wildfire erupted Friday afternoon on a mountain above Haïdari, a suburb 11 km west of central Athens. The civil protection authority sent emergency alerts to mobile phones ordering a preventive evacuation of part of the area. Four water-dropping planes, five helicopters and more than 100 firefighters were deployed to the scene. Another fire broke out Friday near the coastal village of Agios Vasileios, close to the popular resort of Porto Germeno about 70 km northwest of the capital. By Saturday morning more than 300 firefighters were battling that blaze, which reached the sea. Winds registered on Saturday at up to 130 km/h, according to the Athens National Observatory's meteo.gr service, grounded some helicopters and forced others to be diverted to a separate fire in the Peloponnese where conditions were easier.

Homes are located close to the seat of the fire.

The fire reached the sea. Some houses have certainly been damaged. Winds are very strong; helicopters are trying to intervene as best they can, but some are unable to and have been redirected to another fire where conditions are more favourable.

Meteorologist Theodore Giannaros of the Athens National Observatory wrote on Facebook that the damage around Porto Germeno was "inconceivable" and that the affected area appeared to exceed 4,000 to 5,000 hectares.

Island infernos

The fire crisis began earlier in the week on the Cycladic island of Paros and then moved to Crete's Rethymnon region, where 4,500 hectares burned on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the National Observatory. Around 8,000 people were evacuated from the seaside town of Agia Galini on Wednesday evening. By Friday the situation there had improved, though a fire service spokesperson said the blaze was still not contained and new hotspots persisted. Evangelia Glampedaki, deputy mayor of Agios Vasileios municipality, told the ANA news agency that the immediate danger had eased. In the eastern Peloponnese, firefighters managed to stop a fire before it reached the Bronze Age archaeological site of Mycenae. Near Patras, another blaze was underway on Friday, with four water-dropping planes and three helicopters deployed near the village of Floka.

My whole cafe has been destroyed. This place supported two families, mine and my son's. Now we are on the street.

Evacuations by land and sea

Along the Boeotia coast, 200 people had to be evacuated by sea from Agios Vasilios after initially ignoring a civil protection order; coast guard and fire service vessels were sent to rescue them. At Porto Germeno, roughly 300 people were similarly evacuated by boat when flames closed in.

Racing against the wind

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned Thursday that the country was heading into "difficult days." A maximum fire-risk level of 5 on a scale of 5 was declared for Saturday for the greater Athens region, parts of the Peloponnese, Crete, central Greece and areas near the Turkish border. Winds forecast at up to 88 km/h locally and temperatures reaching 37 °C are expected to persist, and water-bombing aircraft cannot operate in strong winds.

Human cost

Three firefighters have lost their lives in the fires this week. The peak summer holiday weekend is now underway for much of the Greek population, with authorities on high alert for further flare-ups.