Fires erupt near Athens as Greece battles intense wildfire season

Shinook helicopters spray water above a wild fire in an attempt to extinguish the fire at mount Parnitha, in Parnitha near Athens, on June 29, 2024. Agence France-Presse

ATHENS — A wildfire ignited Saturday afternoon in a forest area north of Athens, amid heightened fire risk across six Greek regions.

At least forty wildfires have erupted since dawn across the country with wind speeds exceeding 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour, according to fire brigade sources.

“In general, the conditions that prevail are difficult and dangerous,” Fire Department spokesperson Vasilis Vathrakogiannis told an emergency press briefing on Saturday.

READ: Greece fire sparks evacuations near Athens

Accustomed to scorching summers, Greece faces a tough wildfire season after its warmest winter and earliest heatwave on record, with temperatures hitting 44°C (111°F).

Strong winds and numerous high-voltage pylons in the area of Mount Parnitha — known as “the lungs of Athens” — are impeding the use of firefighting aircraft.

Reinforcements from the regions of Thessaly, Epirus, and Central Macedonia, as well as volunteer firefighters, are helping to tackle the forest fires.

The winds have carried smoke into the center of Athens while a message was sent to people in nearby areas via the emergency number 112 to be on standby due to the fire.

READ: Early fires an ominous Greek summer warning–experts

“There is no longer an active front at the fire that started in Katsimidi, Parnitha but the fight is not yet over even though the situation has improved,” Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vasilis Kikilias said in a statement Saturday evening.

The Fire Danger Forecast Map issued for Sunday by the Civil Protection Ministry predicts a very high risk of fire (category 4) for Attica, the Peloponnese, Crete, the North and South Aegean Regions, and Central Greece.

Another fire started about 20 kilometers northwest of Athens in the area of Lakka Katsari on Saturday afternoon, while authorities successfully controlled a fire in the southeastern town of Keratea, which had led to the evacuation of two villages.

Last year, a fierce two-week heatwave was followed by devastating wildfires in which 20 people died.

The flames consumed nearly 175,000 hectares (432,000 acres) of forest and farmland, according to the National Observatory of Athens.