By Awyetu Asabe Hope
Greece is battling multiple wildfires that have destroyed vast areas of forest and farmland, damaged homes and forced evacuations, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warning that the country faces “extremely difficult” days.
Mitsotakis attributed the fast-spreading fires to extreme weather conditions, including winds of up to 100 kilometres per hour, saying the conditions had limited the use of firefighting aircraft.
Nearly 500 firefighters were deployed to contain a major blaze near the coastal village of Porto Germeno, about 70 kilometres northwest of Athens, as authorities sought to stop the flames from reaching the capital’s western outskirts. Another 100 firefighters were battling a separate wildfire in Aigialia in the northern Peloponnese.
A fresh fire also erupted on the Ionian island of Cephalonia late Saturday, where a 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson.
According to the National Observatory’s climate tracker, meteo.gr, more than 6,500 hectares have been burned in separate fires around the Gulf of Corinth and Porto Germeno, though experts say the affected area may exceed 10,000 hectares, raising the likelihood of the blaze being classified as a “megafire.”
The fires have destroyed scores of homes, with authorities evacuating Porto Germeno and nearby villages as flames advanced.
Greece has recorded dozens of wildfires daily in recent days, with three firefighters killed in the line of duty. Officials warned that strong winds continue to hamper firefighting operations and keep several regions, including greater Athens and Evia, under near-maximum wildfire risk.
Like much of the Mediterranean, Greece faces increasingly severe wildfire seasons driven by rising temperatures, prolonged heatwaves and drought linked to climate change.
