DistantNews
Support us
Fires in Southern Europe: Greek Firefighters Struggle Against Wildfires Amidst Strong Winds
🇩🇪 Germany /Disasters & Emergencies

Fires in Southern Europe: Greek Firefighters Struggle Against Wildfires Amidst Strong Winds

From Die Zeit · () German

Translated from German, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Ongoing story
  • Firefighters in Greece are struggling to contain widespread wildfires amid strong winds, with approximately 5,000 hectares burned.
  • Several villages west of Athens have been evacuated, and firefighting efforts are hampered by difficult conditions.
  • In contrast, France reports its wildfires are largely under control, though efforts continue to extinguish remaining hotspots.

Wildfires continue to rage across Greece, pushing firefighters to their limits as they battle flames under challenging conditions. Strong winds have significantly hampered firefighting operations, even preventing the use of aerial resources like helicopters and planes for extended periods. Around 500 emergency personnel, supported by international colleagues from Romania and France, along with volunteers, are working tirelessly on the ground.

If the wind doesn't subside, the disaster cannot be stopped.

— Giorgos DasiotisGiorgos Dasiotis, deputy governor of Boeotia, described the critical situation in the Greek wildfire zones.

The scale of the devastation is significant, with an estimated 5,000 hectares (approximately 50 square kilometers) consumed by the fires. Authorities have been forced to evacuate several villages located about 60 kilometers west of Athens, as well as areas further west and in the northern Peloponnese peninsula. Mobile alerts have been issued to residents in affected regions, particularly around the village of Porto Germeno, northwest of Athens, where flames spread rapidly due to the strong winds.

Giorgos Dasiotis, the deputy governor of Boeotia, expressed the severity of the situation, stating, "If the wind doesn't subside, the disaster cannot be stopped." While some aerial operations were possible when the wind briefly eased, they had to be suspended again with the onset of darkness. Hopes are pinned on a predicted decrease in wind speeds on Sunday.

In the main, the fires in our country are now under control.

— Sébastien LecornuFrench Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu provided an update on the wildfire situation in France.

Meanwhile, the situation in southwestern France appears to be improving. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu stated that the fires are "largely under control." However, local authorities caution that "under control" does not mean extinguished. Emergency crews and farmers are diligently working to manage smoldering hotspots across the affected areas, describing the blaze as "absolutely unprecedented" and attributing its intensity to unfavorable weather conditions including wind, high temperatures, and drought.

A fire under control does not mean it is extinguished.

— PrefectureThe prefecture in the Bordeaux region clarified the meaning of 'under control' regarding the French wildfires.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Die Zeit in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog