A major wildfire burns for an eighth straight day in a Greek national park

A major wildfire has continued to burn for an eighth consecutive day in Pindos National Park in western Greece, one of the country’s most important protected areas.

Around 150 firefighters are operating near the town of Konitsa in the Ioannina region, supported by 50 vehicles, three water-dropping helicopters, dozens of volunteers, water tankers and heavy machinery from the regional government. The mountainous terrain, dense vegetation and difficult access have complicated the response.

The fire began near Konitsa on Aug. 31. Costas Tsigas, president of the Association of Fire Officers, said on the Action24 broadcaster that lightning was considered the likely cause. He added that strong winds and the terrain had helped the flames spread uncontrollably.

The blaze is burning at the park’s northwestern edge, where conservation areas protect habitats and species, including virgin stands of European black pine and beech. Covering about 2,000 square kilometers, Pindos is Greece’s largest national park and contains many rare, endemic and endangered species.

The fire comes as almost all the Aegean islands, the Attica region around Athens and several areas of the Peloponnese face an “extreme fire risk” because of high temperatures and strong winds. Greece’s current summer is expected to rank as the sixth hottest since official temperature records began in 1960. August was the country’s third-hottest on record, with the average temperature 1.6 degrees above the 1991-2020 average. More than 31,000 hectares have burned nationwide this year, while 11 people, including four firefighters, have died in fires.

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Lightning was likely to have started the fire.