Greece battles devastating wildfires near Athens as thousands evacuate

Charred trees, burnt vehicles, and the skeletal remains of homes mark the aftermath of devastating wildfires that erupted on Sunday near Athens, Greece. Within just 24 hours, the fires ravaged thousands of hectares, with a satellite image from the EU’s Copernicus program revealing a scorched area of 10,000 hectares just kilometers from the capital. Authorities have issued evacuation orders for several suburbs of Athens, prompting thousands to flee their homes.

Among those affected is Sakis Morfis, a 70-year-old resident of Vrilissia, who lost his home to the flames. He recounted, “When I left the house, the only thing I cared about was saving my dogs, so I left everything behind: money, possessions, everything.”

In the municipality of Marathon, northeast of Athens, around 30,000 people were ordered to evacuate. At least one death has been reported, and several firefighters have sustained injuries.

The fires, which were particularly aggressive on Sunday and Monday, showed signs of slowing down by Tuesday, according to Greece’s Environment Minister Vassilis Kikilias. He stated, “40 hours after the extremely dangerous fire erupted in Varnavas, we can say there is no longer an active front, but sporadic outbreaks continue.”

Efforts to combat the fires have engaged nearly 700 firefighters, multiple vehicles, and 35 firefighting aircraft and helicopters. Several countries, including Turkey, France, Italy, Spain, and the Czech Republic, have also pledged assistance to Greece in battling the blazes.

As Greece endures one of its hottest summers on record, the risk of wildfire remains extremely high due to ongoing drought and strong winds.