Athens Braces for Wildfire Flare-Ups as High Winds Return

Greek firefighters are working to bring the remnants of a huge wildfire near Athens under control, after wind speeds picked up again on Tuesday afternoon.

The biggest blaze of the summer started northeast of the capital Sunday, fueled by strong winds, high temperatures and a lengthy drought. Climate change is turbo-charging the threat posed by wildfires, with Greece suffering its worst season in two decades.

This week’s inferno highlighted the longer-term ecological catastrophe threatening the country. As the climate warms, extreme heat and fires are becoming more frequent, depriving Athens’ encircling olive groves and pine forests of the time they need to rejuvenate. Ultimately, that could turn the region into a desert.

A series of wildfires last year, including one that forced the evacuation of thousands of tourists from the island of Rhodes, has pushed Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to take further steps to mitigate risks. That includes using drones to provide early warnings of outbreaks in the Attica region that includes Athens, plus clearing forests and private properties of dry vegetation.

Greece now has the highest number of firefighters per person in the European Union, according to government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis, who cited the latest Eurostat data.

The government announced Tuesday a set of measures for those who suffered fire damage, including a one-time allowance and financial help to repair or rebuild properties. The Interior Ministry has set aside €4.7 million ($5.1 million) for eight municipalities in Attica.

Mitsotakis cut short a vacation to return to Athens, after being criticized by political opponents last year. He will preside over a ministerial meeting on Tuesday evening to evaluate the situation. At stake are not only homes and businesses, but Greece’s vital tourism industry.

#EMSR746
As the #wildfire north of #Athens 🇬🇷 continues to rage, the EU is working together to respond

Our #MappingTeam has delivered its Delineation Product, which, as of 12 August, has detected:
🔸+8,500 hectares of burnt area
🔸23 km of fire fronts
🔸168 active flames pic.twitter.com/zb8SUFDUoX

— Copernicus EMS (@CopernicusEMS) August 13, 2024

As wind speeds dropped early on Tuesday, isolated fires have replaced the 12-mile front that ravaged villages on the northeast fringe of Athens on Monday.

In the first fatality of the summer, a woman was found dead in a burnt-out building in the suburb of Vrilissia. More than 100 people were killed by Greek wildfires in 2018.

Over 600 people have been rehoused in hotels, while 156 rescued animals are being sheltered in the Olympic Indoor Hall.

The risk levels for Athens and the surrounding Attica region have been lowered one notch from extreme, but conditions will remain “dangerous” for the coming days, according to the fire services.

Satellite images show that about 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) of Attica have been burnt, according to Greece’s national observatory. Across the whole country, there have been 3,543 wildfires since the start of May compared with 2,344 a year earlier.

Overview of the ongoing wildfires and the EU’s response in southeastern Europe. 🗺️↓
🔗 https://t.co/veP3oHZpI7#EUCivilProtection pic.twitter.com/9zJAv6CAKp
— EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid 🇪🇺 (@eu_echo) August 13, 2024

Power grid operator IPTO, also known by Greek initials as Admie, said the fires have damaged a “significant” number of ultra-high voltage transmission cables.

On Tuesday, fire broke out in low vegetation in Kalivia, 47 kilometers (29 miles) southeast of Athens. An evacuation order was also given for the Erithros area of the coastal resort of Nea Makri, east of Athens.

Temperatures are forecast to climb as high as 42C (108F) on the Greek mainland by Thursday.

On Tuesday, fire broke out in low vegetation in Kalivia, 47 kilometers (29 miles) southeast of Athens. An evacuation order was also given for the Erithros area of the coastal resort of Nea Makri, east of Athens.

Temperatures are forecast to climb as high as 42C (108F) on the Greek mainland by Thursday.

Greece isn’t the only country threatened by wildfires.

Forest fires in Bosnia-Herzegovina forced the government to ask for international assistance after the army failed to contain blazes in the south of the country. The fire has destroyed hundreds of acres of protected forest in the Sutjeska nature reserve.

Swaths of Europe have faced scorching temperatures this summer as climate change intensifies heat waves across the region, putting crops and power grids at risk.

Most of Romania is baking in temperatures of about 40C, with some sections of the Danube River on alert for lower water levels due to the ongoing drought. More than 600 towns and villages are facing water restrictions.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire