Firefighters test readiness as Greece enters wildfire season
A McDermott firefighting helicopter drops water, during a wide scale readiness training exercise, as the country enters its peak fire season, in Lavrio, Greece, May 22, 2025.REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
A McDermott firefighting helicopter fills water at the sea, during a wide scale readiness training exercise, as the country enters its peak fire season, in Lavrio, Greece, May 22, 2025.REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
Firefighters conduct a wide scale readiness training exercise, as the country enters its peak fire season, in Lavrio, Greece, May 22, 2025.REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
A PZL firefighting plane drops water, during a wide scale readiness training exercise, as the country enters its peak fire season, in Lavrio, Greece, May 22, 2025.REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki
LAVRIO, Greece - On a hillside outside Athens, firefighters, rescuers and the army stand ready to tackle an encroaching wildfire near a summer camp - a scenario all too familiar in Greece, where climate change has made blazes more frequent and devastating.
With Greece well into its wildfire season, Thursday's exercise near the seaside town of Lavrio some 70 kilometres south of the capital was held simultaneously across the country.
Fire trucks raced to the scene and aircraft dumped water on a simulated flame. Authorities described the drill's weather conditions as "realistic" - hot and windy after weeks of drought.
Greece, whose Mediterranean climate makes it more vulnerable to climate change, recorded its hottest summer last year as well as prolonged periods of drought that led to water shortages and damaged crops. This June is forecast to be warmer than usual across southern Europe.
The government is planning to deploy a record number of firefighters this year - around 18,000 from 15,500 in 2022 - backed by volunteers. It will spend around 2 billion euros on new aircraft and will use nearly twice as many thermal camera drones to catch fires early.
"Our goal is to not mourn human lives and to protect property and the environment," Kefalogiannis said.
Some 9,777 wildfires broke out across Greece last year according to the fire brigade, up from 8,257 in 2023.
One of Europe's biggest wildfires on record burned for weeks in northern Greece in 2023, killing at least 20 people. Last summer, a wildfire fanned by gale force winds reached Athens's northern suburbs, forcing hundreds to flee. REUTERS
Find out more about climate change and how it could affect you on the ST microsite here.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Firefighters struggle to contain wildfires in heatwave-struck Turkey and Cyprus
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Firefighters respond to a wildfire near Osmaneli in the western Bilecik province, Turkey, July 24, 2025. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya BILECIK, Turkey/NICOSIA - Firefighters battled multiple wildfires across Turkey and Cyprus on Thursday that have scorched swathes of land, forced the evacuation of towns and villages and killed 10 firefighters in central Turkey amid a searing Mediterranean heatwave. At least six separate wildfires were burning across Turkey, and Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli warned that strong winds and blazing heat were creating extremely dangerous conditions. Late on Wednesday, Yumakli said 10 firefighters were killed while battling a fire in the central Eskisehir province, adding that 14 others were injured. Fanned by strong winds, the fire later spread to another central province, Afyonkarahisar. In the northwestern province of Bilecik, fires raged for a fourth straight day, as firefighters struggled to contain them. Residents were evacuated from fire-threatened areas of all three provinces, though some residents were later allowed to return to areas in Bilecik that were declared safe. "They couldn't intervene. There is no decent road, forests are thick and it's rocky. Helicopters don't work at night, and because they don't work, they couldn't intervene," said Cemil Karadag, a resident of the village of Selcik in Bilecik. "It engulfed our village from two or three sides ... It spread very quickly with the effect of the wind, but, thank God, (the centre of) our village wasn't damaged that much." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Live: People evacuated from border regions amid deadly Thailand-Cambodia clash Asia 11 Thai civilians killed as Thai and Cambodian militaries clash at disputed border: Reports Asia Deadly Thai-Cambodian dispute puts Asean's relevance on the line Singapore Singapore says prolonged suffering of civilians in Gaza is 'unconscionable' Singapore Khatib Camp to make way for housing, with its functions moving to Amoy Quee Camp Singapore First BTO flats in Greater Southern Waterfront, Mount Pleasant to go on sale in October Singapore Mindef to set up new volunteer management unit to grow volunteer pool Singapore Primary 1 registration: 29 schools to conduct ballot in Phase 2B In the Black Sea province of Sakarya, a wildfire erupted even as firefighters worked to contain another nearby. A key highway was shut due to the blaze, while some areas were evacuated. Another fire in the neighbouring province of Karabuk, where the UNESCO World Heritage City of Safranbolu is located, quickly grew and led to 10 villages being evacuated. A sixth blaze raged in the western province of Manisa. 'SHEER HELL' On the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, firefighters battled for a second day to control a massive wildfire, which engulfed mountain villages north of the city of Limassol. Two people were found dead in their car, trapped by the blaze which started on Wednesday. Scores of homes were destroyed as people fled a towering wall of flames overnight. Although the fire's cause was not immediately known, authorities said they would be looking into the possibility of arson. "It was sheer hell," said Father Michalis, a Greek Orthodox priest, who was forced to evacuate from Lofou village. After subsiding early Thursday, authorities were struggling to contain flare-ups around midday that were being stoked by strong winds. "When dawn came we saw a catastrophe of biblical proportions," said Kostas Hatzikonstantinou, who struggled to maintain composure as he stood outside his home, hollowed out by the fire which razed his community on Thursday morning. "It's an unspeakable tragedy for everyone ... Unfortunately, we'll no longer have this paradise that we enjoyed for so many years," he said. Cypriot government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said the authorities were focusing on fully leveraging "all ground and air forces" to control the blaze. "We are facing an unprecedented situation," he said. In addition to air assets from Spain, Egypt and Jordan, Israel has also said it would send assistance, he added. Aircraft from the British military bases on Cyprus were also assisting in the effort, while the EU said it had mobilised two aircraft to help operations. Ersin Tatar, president of the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is recognised only by Turkey and has been split from the island's south, said his government was ready to assist as well. Although heatwaves and wildfires are common in the region, their impact on human life along with the scale of destruction have become more pronounced in recent years due to shifting weather patterns. REUTERS
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Firefighters struggle to contain wildfires in Turkey and Cyprus amid heatwave
BILECIK, Turkey/NICOSIA - Firefighters across Turkey and Cyprus battled multiple wildfires on Thursday amid a searing Mediterranean heatwave that has scorched swathes of land and killed 10 firefighters in central Turkey. At least six separate wildfires burned across Turkey and Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli warned that strong winds and scorching heat were creating extremely dangerous conditions. Late on Wednesday, Yumakli said 10 firefighters were killed while battling a fire in the central Eskisehir province, adding that 14 others were injured. Fanned by strong winds, the fire later spread to another central province, Afyonkarahisar, while some towns and villages were evacuated. In the northwestern province of Bilecik, fires raged for a fourth straight day, as firefighters struggled to contain them and evacuated several villages. Some residents were later allowed to return to areas declared safe. "They couldn't intervene. There is no decent road, forests are thick and it's rocky. Helicopters don't work at night, and because they don't work, they couldn't intervene,' said Cemil Karadag, a resident of the village of Selcik. "It engulfed our village from two or three sides, they couldn't intervene ... It spread very quickly with the effect of the wind, but, thank God, (the centre of) our village wasn't damaged that much." In the Black Sea province of Sakarya, a wildfire erupted even as firefighters worked to contain another nearby. A key highway was shut due to the blaze, while some villages and towns were evacuated. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Live: People evacuated from border regions amid deadly Thailand-Cambodia clash Asia 11 Thai civilians killed as Thai and Cambodian militaries clash at disputed border: Reports Singapore Singapore says prolonged suffering of civilians in Gaza is 'unconscionable' Singapore Khatib Camp to make way for housing, with its functions moving to Amoy Quee Camp Singapore First BTO flats in Greater Southern Waterfront, Mount Pleasant to go on sale in October Singapore Primary 1 registration: 29 schools to conduct ballot in Phase 2B Asia 'Vampire coach': Coercive blood sampling in school casts spotlight on Taiwan's culture of obedience Singapore 1,300 names, addresses of traffic offenders published online; police investigating Another fire in the neighbouring province of Karabuk, where the UNESCO World Heritage City of Safranbolu is located, quickly grew and led to 10 villages being evacuated, while a sixth blaze raged in the Western province of Manisa. 'SHEER HELL' In the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, firefighters battled for a second day to control a massive wildfire which engulfed mountain villages north of the city of Limassol. Two people were found dead in their car, trapped by the blaze which started on Wednesday. Scores of homes were destroyed as people fled their homes overnight from a towering wall of flames. Although the cause was not immediately known, authorities said they would be looking at the possibility of arson. "It was sheer hell," said Father Michalis, a Greek Orthodox priest who had to evacuate from Lofou village. After subsiding early Thursday, authorities were struggling to contain flare-ups at midday, stoked by strong winds. "Our focus right now is to control the fire, utilising to the maximum all ground and air forces," government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said. "We are facing an unprecedented situation." In addition to air assets from Spain, Egypt and Jordan, Israel has also said it would send assistance, he said. Aircraft from the British bases on Cyprus were also assisting in the effort. Ersin Tatar, president of the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is recognised only by Turkey and has been split from the island's south, said his government was ready to help as well. Although heatwaves and wildfires are common in this region, their impact on human life and the damage has become much more pronounced in recent years. REUTERS
Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
Greek fir forests dying as heat peaks and snow cover wanes
FILE PHOTO: A drone view of dying fir trees among the green forests, due to prolonged droughts leaving them exposed to pest infestations according to scientists and locals, near the village of Kalavryta, Peloponnese, Greece, July 9, 2025. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki/File Photo KALAVRYTA, Greece - On the wooded slopes surrounding the village of Kalavryta in southwestern Greece, hundreds of dying fir trees stand out among the dark green foliage, their brittle, reddish needles a stark reminder of how drought slowly drains the life from nature. Fir trees are known to need cooler, moist climates. But prolonged droughts in recent years linked to a fast-changing climate in Greece are leaving them exposed to pest infestations, scientists and locals said. "In the past, we used to see a few dead trees scattered amongst the healthy ones," said Katerina Kolirou, head of the local forest service in Kalavryta, a village famed for its forests of the Greek fir species Abies cephalonica. "Now, unfortunately, among the dead ones, we try to spot the few remaining healthy green firs." Less water and moisture mean that fir trees become more vulnerable to attacks by pests that bore into their bark to lay eggs and create tunnels, disrupting the trees' ability to transport nutrients between roots and branches and leading to their death. "These are wood-boring beetles," said Dimitrios Avtzis, a forest entomologist and research director at the Greek Agricultural Organization Demeter, a state research agency, as he cut into the bark of a decaying tree in Kalavryta and found a beetle that he later placed in a vial for examination. "They don't form populations as large as bark beetles, but they are just as destructive to the tree." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Live: Thailand, Cambodia clash with jets, rockets, artillery in deadly border row Asia 9 Thai civilians killed as Thai and Cambodian militaries clash at disputed border: Reports Singapore Boy, 15, charged after being caught with vapes 5 times; ordered to stay 2 years in S'pore Boys' Home Business MOM probing work injury claim flagged by late Sumo Salad boss Jane Lee: MOS Dinesh Business New tie-up offers insurance savings for SMEs committed to workers' health and well-being Singapore What's key to a good life? Most Singapore residents choose emotional and mental well-being Singapore Over 2 years' jail for man who worked with wife to cheat her then-boyfriend of $220k Asia South Korea police raid offices of BTS' agency Hybe over share probe Across the globe, 2024 was the warmest year on record, with the average temperature exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial era for the first time. Temperatures in Greece rose by the same amount between 1991-2020, but in some northwestern mountain areas there was a larger 2C increase, said director of research at the National Observatory of Athens Kostas Lagouvardos, who led a study on rising temperatures and snow cover. This, in turn, reduced the number of days the soil was covered by snow, another vital source of moisture for fir trees. He estimated a 30-40% snow-cover decrease over the years. Fir forest decline, also seen on the Greek mainland and the Ionian Islands, is not unique to Greece. In the province of Huesca in Spain, also in the Mediterranean region, a different species of fir in the Pyrenees mountains, the Abies Alba, has also shown signs of declining in recent years, a development that scientists link to extreme heat. In Kalavryta, authorities plan to remove dead and infested trees to limit the damage. But this might not be enough to save the forests. "We cannot stop climate change," Lagouvardos said. "What we can try to do is mitigate it or find solutions. But we cannot create snow." REUTERS
