Greece on Alert as Heat and Winds Drive Wildfires Near Athens and Crete

Greece is experiencing an unprecedented wildfire crisis with record-breaking temperatures and windy weather still driving several separate blazes throughout the country. A fresh one erupted on Friday in the Koropi municipality, 30 kilometers east of Athens. They prompted over 120 firefighters, backed by planes and helicopters, as the blazes swept rapidly through patches of high-density vegetation in suburban areas along the Aegean coast.

Powerful gusts of wind also helped spread the fire at an incredible rate, and around 800 people were evacuated from the area using emergency text messages. Road closures were implemented at the periphery of Athens in order to help firefighting crews and prevent the transference of the fire to the town. The fire was reportedly under partial control last evening with emergency crews still keeping an eye out and extinguishing dispersed hotspots.

Public broadcaster ERT aired footage showing damage to homes, olive groves, and woodland. A total of 30 fire engines, eight planes, and eight helicopters were deployed alongside a coast guard vessel patrolling nearby coastal zones.

There is still anxiety in the coming days, especially with predictions of over 40°C temperatures by Saturday. Although Greece has managed to escape the record heatwaves seen in Spain, Portugal, and France until now, prevailing weather conditions constitute a heightened risk of fires in much of the country.

The broader area of Attica, where Athens is situated and more than four million residents live, is among the most exposed. Northern Euboea, Greece's second-largest island, has been termed as being very exposed as well. There were 47 forest and rural fires in the past 24 hours throughout Greece, of which most were subsequently under control.

Earlier this week, firefighters managed to extinguish a fire near Rafina port, 20 kilometers northeast of Koropi. The fire necessitated the evacuation of 300 residents and burnt portions of the houses and vehicles, the mayor reported. The fact that this was in the vicinity of Athens International Airport and there were also relentless wind threats led to the hold-up of the firefighting crews.

Tourist areas have also been affected. In Crete, along the resort town of Ierapetra, 5,000 were evacuated—3,000 tourists. The evacuation was triggered on Wednesday evening as a precautionary action because spreading fire threatened the area. The rescue teams involved 230 firefighters, 48 fire trucks, and six helicopters. The Ierapetra fire has already started to die down, but rekindling is still a risk because there are still hot spots and smoke.

Blazes caused disruptions to ferry routes in west Aegean, hampering journeys to tourist hotspots like Mykonos. Operations are still in the hands of the authorities in a bid to prevent further disruption as the weather is still unstable.

Long-term wildfire danger in Greece is increasing. Wildfires have engulfed 4,700 hectares of land on Chios Island in the northern Aegean last month based on WWF and National Observatory of Athens data. The size and amount of recent wildfires revived scientists' and disaster planners' concerns. Experts say increasing heat and aridity due to global warming are increasing the number and severity of wildfires in the Mediterranean region.

The worst year for wildfires in Greece was in 2023, when almost 175,000 hectares of land were destroyed and 20 lives lost. The ongoing epidemic is a clear reminder that the country is most vulnerable during the summer months and that emergency preparedness and climate resilience planning are essential.

Authorities are kept in a state of heightened alert with conditions likely to continue being hazardous throughout the weekend. Firefighters everywhere throughout impacted areas are on duty battling smoldering fires to the extent of total extinction, combating flare-ups, and keeping new front fires from breaking out.

Source:
By Hélène Colliopoulou, Marina Rafenberg, edited by Andrew Zinin – © 2025 AFP
Originally published via Climate Insider
Image Credit: AFP / ERT