Two dead, hundreds evacuated from fires on island near Athens

Two individuals lost their lives and over 570 people were evacuated from the Greek island of Salamis on Sunday following two fires that erupted within a 20-minute span. The fires broke out in the popular beach areas of Peristeria and near Selinia, according to the fire department.

Fire department communications director Vassilis Vathrakogiannis confirmed that "two bodies were recovered" from the Peristeria beach area. The victims were reportedly an elderly couple who died before emergency services could reach them. The fires spread with alarming speed, with one blaze reportedly engulfing an area in just seven minutes due to winds reaching up to 61 kilometers per hour.

Coast guard vessels and other boats were used to evacuate hundreds of weekend beachgoers. The civil protection ministry issued multiple evacuation orders as the blazes threatened populated areas. Footage from Greek television showed several homes destroyed by the flames. Nine individuals required medical attention for burns, according to state agency ANA.

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two bodies were recovered

Salamis, located west of Athens, is home to approximately 37,000 residents, many of whom are elderly. Sunday saw its beaches filled with locals and day-trippers. Firefighters worked to contain the blazes, managing to prevent the Selinia fire from merging with the Peristeria fire by keeping it from scaling a nearby mountain. The Selinia fire was extinguished by evening, though pockets of fire remained in Peristeria.

These fires on Salamis occur amidst a broader pattern of intense wildfires across Europe, exacerbated by drought and high temperatures scientists attribute to climate change. Meanwhile, a separate fire on the Aegean island of Skyros, which had burned an estimated 1,300 hectares of forest, was brought under control. Greece has experienced several major wildfires since late July, fueled by unusually strong winds.

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spread rapidly in seven minutes