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Wildfire Danger Shifts to Greece as France Gains Control Over Major Blaze

From CBS News · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Ongoing story
  • Europe's wildfire emergency has shifted to Greece, where strong winds are fanning flames through a seaside resort, forcing evacuations by sea.
  • Firefighters in southwestern France have brought a vast wildfire under control, allowing many residents to return home after a large-scale evacuation.
  • While western Europe sees an easing of fires, rising temperatures and drought continue to make vegetation drier and more susceptible to intense burning.

Europe's wildfire crisis has intensified in Greece, as gale-force winds propelled flames through a popular seaside resort near Porto Germeno, northwest of Athens. Hundreds of residents were forced to flee by sea as firefighting aircraft struggled to operate amid the smoke and wind.

The fire, which broke out near the coastal village of Agios Vasileios, has devastated a large area of pine forest. Minas Tzortzanis, a 60-year-old local farmer, described the scene with anguish: "A pristine forest, a paradise, was surrendered to the hands of the fire. There are no words to explain what has happened. Destruction. Total destruction."

This situation carries grim resonance for Greece, recalling the deadly 2018 wildfire in Mati, near Athens, which claimed 104 lives and remains Europe's deadliest wildfire this century. Theodore Giannaros, a wildfire meteorologist, estimated that 40 to 50 square kilometers of land have been affected by the current blaze.

A pristine forest, a paradise, was surrendered to the hands of the fire. There are no words to explain what has happened. Destruction. Total destruction.

— Minas TzortzanisA 60-year-old farmer and local resident describing the impact of the wildfire near Porto Germeno.

In contrast, firefighters in southwestern France have gained the upper hand against a massive wildfire in Gironde. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez announced the blaze is "under control with vigilance points in a few sectors," allowing approximately 198,000 people to return home after what was likely the country's largest peacetime evacuation. Another fire in the Var region in southeastern France is still being contained by about 1,500 firefighters.

Major fires in Spain have stopped advancing, and Portugal's primary blaze is under control. However, Europe remains the world's fastest-warming continent, with temperatures rising at more than twice the global average. This warming trend, coupled with prolonged drought, leaves vegetation critically dry and prone to rapid, intense fires, posing an ongoing challenge for the region.

is now under control with vigilance points in a few sectors.

— Laurent NunezFrance's interior minister announcing the containment of a major wildfire in Gironde.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CBS News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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