Athena – Greece – August 14, 2025 – 

Greece is in the grip of one of its most severe wildfire crises in recent memory, with nearly 5,000 firefighters and 33 aircraft deployed to combat dozens of active blazes. The infernos, fanned by searing heat and strong winds, have forced mass evacuations and resulted in multiple injuries, stretching the country’s firefighting resources to their limit.

The situation is particularly critical in western Greece, where two large fires are burning fiercely near the city of Patras. Firefighters have been locked in a round-the-clock battle to protect homes and businesses on the city’s outskirts, as flames have torn through olive groves and forests. On Wednesday, authorities were forced to order the mass evacuation of residents from several villages near Patras, with some people reportedly fleeing to beaches to escape the advancing flames and smoke. The Hellenic Red Cross has been involved in sea rescues, transporting residents to safety by boat. Preliminary assessments indicate that the blaze has destroyed industrial facilities and burned over 500 vehicles at the Patras Customs Office. The head of the fire brigade officers’ association, Kostas Tsingas, told local media that 82 new fires were recorded in a single day, a number he called “exceptionally high.”

Related topics;

Beyond the mainland, major fires are also affecting several islands popular with tourists. On the western island of Zakynthos, flames are raging on multiple fronts, forcing the evacuation of villages and tourist facilities. On the eastern Aegean island of Chios, a large fire has been burning for days, threatening residential areas and destroying homes and an olive oil mill. Firefighters and coast guard teams have had to coordinate rescues by sea as flames reached coastal areas, forcing dozens of people to be evacuated.

The fires have also hit the region of Preveza in the northwest, where two medical facilities and several settlements were evacuated as flames advanced. Across the country, firefighting resources are stretched thin as teams from the Greek Arson Crimes Division have been dispatched to investigate the causes of the fires, many of which are believed to have been sparked by human activity. So far, at least 13 firefighters have been treated for burns and injuries while on the front lines.

The current fire crisis is exacerbated by extreme weather conditions. The country has been enduring a prolonged drought, and a recent heatwave has seen temperatures soar, creating tinderbox conditions. Strong winds of up to 8 Beaufort have been a major factor, making aerial firefighting efforts difficult and accelerating the spread of the flames. The EU’s Copernicus satellite monitoring program has estimated that nearly 24,700 acres of land have been impacted by six major fire fronts in just the past two days, with Chios and the Patras area being particularly hard-hit.

In response to the overwhelming scale of the blazes, international cooperation has been initiated. Fire crews from Romania and the Czech Republic have been deployed to assist in the firefighting efforts. In turn, Greece has also sent assistance to neighboring Albania, where an 80-year-old man died in a blaze south of the capital. As the fires continue to burn, the focus remains on containing the flames, protecting human lives, and providing assistance to the thousands who have been displaced from their homes. The events serve as a sobering reminder of the growing threat of climate change and its devastating impact on Mediterranean Europe.