Greece's wildfire fight hampered by severe understaffing, officials warn

As Greece braces for another hot summer, forestry officials are sounding the alarm over severe understaffing, which they say cripples wildfire prevention and response capabilities. The country's Forest Service, responsible for monitoring some of Europe's most fire-prone areas, faces a daunting task with a dwindling workforce. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if all summer continued like this?" remarked Zoe Ntina, a forest scientist, observing the slopes of Mount Hymettus near Athens on a rare, cool June evening. "But we still have a long way to go."

Since 2000, nearly 2.5 million acres of land have burned in Greece, attributed to causes ranging from negligence and arson to accidental incidents like falling power lines. These fires increasingly threaten tourist areas and densely populated zones. Compounding the issue, the Forest Service's ranks have been significantly reduced, partly due to austerity measures implemented after the previous decade's debt crisis. The number of employees focused on fire prevention and response has fallen by half since 2000, now standing below 3,000.

"We went through a period of complete abandonment in recent years," said Vangelis Gountoufas, Director General of Forests at the Ministry of Environment. He acknowledged the government's recognition of the problem, noting that approximately 300 employees have been added since 2024, following two decades without permanent hires. Hundreds of millions of euros in European funds have bolstered the firefighting apparatus with more personnel, vehicles, and drones. "It is not easy to cover a gap created over two decades in two or three years," admitted Stathis Stathopoulos, head of the Forest Service at the ministry. "Anyone who claims to have a magic wand to eliminate fires is probably not telling the truth."

The landscape itself bears the scars of recurring fires. Mount Pentelicus, overlooking Athens' northern suburbs, once densely forested, is now largely treeless with blackened pines. Scientists warn that continuous burning hinders natural forest regeneration. The government's efforts to reforest burned areas, which have been neglected for decades, are now underway, but the scale of the challenge remains immense.