Wildfire ravages Greek island of Skyros, firefighters battle three fronts amid strong winds

Outbreak and spread

The fire broke out on Saturday 15 August at around 16:00 local time in a forested area of the Atsitsa region on Skyros, a mountainous island in the Aegean Sea about 110 km northeast of Athens. The island, part of the Sporades archipelago, covers approximately 209 km² and has around 3,000 inhabitants, and attracts numerous tourists in summer like all Greek islands. Strong, swirling winds caused the blaze to spread rapidly, ravaging a pine forest and at one point threatening the village of Pefkos, where firefighters concentrated their efforts. A long band of grey smoke carried by the winds was visible in the sky over Athens on Saturday evening. The fire quickly took on significant proportions due to the very strong winds, according to public broadcaster ERT. By Sunday morning, the fire was still active and firefighters continued to battle the flames.

Firefighting response

About 100 firefighters are participating in operations, supported by 11 aircraft and 5 helicopters, along with roughly 20 ground vehicles and public works machinery, according to the fire service on X. Ground teams fought through the night, reinforced by dozens of firefighters and vehicles that arrived on the island by boat. Water bombers began operating shortly before 07:00 on Sunday, as winds slowed at daybreak after blowing strongly overnight. According to ERT, of the three fire fronts, the northeast front shows no improvement. Firefighters, backed by the army, have created breaks to contain the fire but continue to battle on two fronts.

Kostas Tsigas, president of the Association of Fire Officer Officers, described the situation to ERTnews:

We must act quickly to bring this fire under control as soon as possible. Commandos, equipped with machinery and excavators, are trying to clear a path in a difficult area. We hope for an improvement in the situation during the day, as significant reinforcements have been dispatched from Attica, Euboea and the rest of central Greece.

Evacuations and population safety

The Pefko area was evacuated as a precaution following an order from Civil Protection. Mayor Kyriakos Antonopoulos told ERT that no settlement is currently threatened, with the exception of a few scattered secondary residences. He assured that there is no problem for residents or tourists at present. Skyros, which counts about 3,000 inhabitants year-round, sees its population swell with summer visitors during the peak tourist season, when islands and beaches are packed.

National fire alert

Greece remains on maximum fire alert for the summer weekend of 15-16 August, when islands and beaches are packed with tourists. Thirty-four agricultural and forest fires have broken out across the country in the past 24 hours, according to the fire service. The strong winds that have fanned the Skyros blaze are expected to ease starting Sunday, which could aid containment efforts on the island's remaining active fronts.