New wildfire near Athens, Crete blaze 'retreating': Firefighters
Athens (AFP)A wildfire on the island of Crete that forced the evacuation of 5,000 tourists and locals is "retreating", Greek firefighters told AFP on Friday, but a new blaze fanned by strong winds is spreading east of the capital, Athens.Hot dry weather in Greece -- not unusual for this time of year -- has heightened the risk of summer wildfires, and scientists say human-driven climate change is making them more frequent and more intense.The new wildfire broke out at Koropi, a town some 30 kilometres east of Athens, where residents received text messages from civil protection units urging them to evacuate the vicinity.That fire "has reached the courtyards of the houses", Koropi mayor Dimitris Kiousis told public television channel ERT."The fire is ongoing. All residents (in threatened areas) have been evacuated," Thodoris Grivas, deputy mayor of Koropi, told ERT."We do not yet know the extent of the disaster," Grivas added.Early on Friday afternoon, at least two water bombers and two helicopters were battling flames fanned by strong winds blowing across Attica, the Athens region, and the capital itself.The fire was destroying olive trees and brushwood, ERT images showed.Firefighters earlier managed to bring under control a separate fire which had on Thursday threatened the port of Rafina, around 20 kilometres northeast of Koropi, after some 300 local people were evacuated from their homes.Fire crews remained on alert, as the Rafina wildfire was not far from Athens International Airport and winds still posed a threat.The blaze destroyed a several houses and vehicles, local mayor Dimitris Markou told ERT. It also disrupted ferries to and from tourist islands in the western Aegean, including Mykonos.
Winds abating On the island of Crete, around 230 firefighters, 48 fire engines and six helicopters remained at the scene near the resort town of Ierapetra, even though the blaze was receding.Some 3,000 visitors had been forced to leave their hotels and guest houses on Wednesday evening and 2,000 local residents were also evacuated, authorities said."The fire is retreating," fire department spokesman Vassilios Vathrakoyannis told AFP."There are still fears of flare-ups but there is no longer a major front," he added.Scattered hot spots still remained and firefighters were dealing with several smoke-filled areas from which flare-ups had restarted, the fire department told the ANA press agency.Weakening winds in the hard-to-reach area had improved the situation, firefighters said, although a fire brigade spokesperson had warned overnight of some "difficult" days ahead.Greece had until now been generally spared the heatwave roasting parts of Europe, particularly Spain, Portugal and France over recent days.
But starting this weekend, temperatures are forecast to rise, reaching up to 43 degrees Celsius in some areas of the country.
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Gale force wind gusts complicated efforts on Friday to contain wildfires on Crete that have razed forests and olive groves and forced thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate. Around 130 firefighters, 48 vehicles and six helicopters were deployed on the third day of the effort, with the wind and dry conditions raising the risk that blazes might restart in areas of the island where they had already been contained. In Greece's capital Athens, about 800 people were evacuated from the suburb of Koropi where more than 120 firefighters battled a blaze supported by eight airplanes and eight helicopters, a fire brigade spokesperson said. Local residents spray water to extinguish a fire in a house during a wildfire that broke up in Koropi. AFP The fires in Crete and in Athens come as much of Europe swelters in an early summer heatwave, which officials have linked to at least eight deaths on the continent. The blazes in Crete, which broke out in a village about 16km east of Ierapetra on Wednesday, have consumed swathes of agricultural land in the southeastern corner of the island, leaving dead animals and scorched farmhouses. Olive farmer Giorgos Poulis was sorting out destroyed farming equipment beside his burned-out truck. "The damage is incalculable in every way, from water drilling equipment, pipes, tires, cars, the cement mixer," he said, gesturing around him. A man attempts to extinguish a wildfire in the Cesme district of Izmir, Turkey. AFP George Tzarakis, head of Hoteliers of Ierapetra and southeastern Crete, told Reuters most of the 3,500 tourists who had been evacuated were returning to their hotels. Tourism is a key earner in Crete, the largest island in Greece, and local hoteliers were concerned about future bookings as the fire hit at the start of the peak summer holiday season. Temperatures in Greece were forecast to reach up to 38˚C on Friday, the Greek weather service said. Passengers rest on the floor in the hall of the Main Railway Station, as a major power outage caused train delays, in Prague. Reuters In another Athens suburb, Pikermi, some 148 firefighters battled a fire that broke out on Thursday, threatening many homes, cutting power and prompting authorities to move more than 300 people to safety. The fire was contained but not extinguished, the fire brigade official said. In Italy, the health ministry put 20 of the 27 cities it monitors for heatwaves on red alert on Friday. RAI public broadcaster said temperatures would go as high as 38 C in Florence and 37 C in Rome, Bologna and Perugia. 341 DEATHS DUE TO HEAT-RELATED ILLNESSES Spain's Health Ministry estimates that 341 deaths have been attributable to heat-related illnesses since the beginning of June, as the country grapples with soaring temperatures. With the heat comes a higher risk of wildfires. Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area dubbed "a wildfire hotspot" by scientists - with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast-changing climate, prompting calls for a new approach. "With multiple heatwaves and fire risks expected through September, there is an urgent need to shift from reactive response to proactive preparedness," the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said this week. Reuters
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New wildfire near Athens, Crete blaze 'retreating': Firefighters
4 July 2025 17:23 Athens (AFP)A wildfire on the island of Crete that forced the evacuation of 5,000 tourists and locals is "retreating", Greek firefighters told AFP on Friday, but a new blaze fanned by strong winds is spreading east of the capital, dry weather in Greece -- not unusual for this time of year -- has heightened the risk of summer wildfires, and scientists say human-driven climate change is making them more frequent and more new wildfire broke out at Koropi, a town some 30 kilometres east of Athens, where residents received text messages from civil protection units urging them to evacuate the fire "has reached the courtyards of the houses", Koropi mayor Dimitris Kiousis told public television channel ERT."The fire is ongoing. All residents (in threatened areas) have been evacuated," Thodoris Grivas, deputy mayor of Koropi, told ERT."We do not yet know the extent of the disaster," Grivas on Friday afternoon, at least two water bombers and two helicopters were battling flames fanned by strong winds blowing across Attica, the Athens region, and the capital fire was destroying olive trees and brushwood, ERT images earlier managed to bring under control a separate fire which had on Thursday threatened the port of Rafina, around 20 kilometres northeast of Koropi, after some 300 local people were evacuated from their crews remained on alert, as the Rafina wildfire was not far from Athens International Airport and winds still posed a blaze destroyed a several houses and vehicles, local mayor Dimitris Markou told ERT. It also disrupted ferries to and from tourist islands in the western Aegean, including Mykonos. Winds abating On the island of Crete, around 230 firefighters, 48 fire engines and six helicopters remained at the scene near the resort town of Ierapetra, even though the blaze was 3,000 visitors had been forced to leave their hotels and guest houses on Wednesday evening and 2,000 local residents were also evacuated, authorities said."The fire is retreating," fire department spokesman Vassilios Vathrakoyannis told AFP."There are still fears of flare-ups but there is no longer a major front," he hot spots still remained and firefighters were dealing with several smoke-filled areas from which flare-ups had restarted, the fire department told the ANA press winds in the hard-to-reach area had improved the situation, firefighters said, although a fire brigade spokesperson had warned overnight of some "difficult" days had until now been generally spared the heatwave roasting parts of Europe, particularly Spain, Portugal and France over recent days. But starting this weekend, temperatures are forecast to rise, reaching up to 43 degrees Celsius in some areas of the country.
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Firefighting efforts Some 230 firefighters and six helicopters remain at the scene near the resort town of Ierapetra, where 3,000 visitors had to leave their hotels and guest houses on Wednesday evening. "The fire is retreating," fire department spokesman Vassilios Vathrakoyannis said. "There are still fears of flare-ups, but there is no longer a major front," he added. Scattered hot spots still remain, and firefighters are dealing with several smoke-filled areas from which flare-ups have restarted, the fire department informed the ANA press agency. Weather conditions However, weakening winds in the hard-to-reach area have improved the situation, firefighters said. Another blaze, fanned by strong winds, broke out near the port of Rafina, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) east of Athens, and was brought under control on Thursday evening, the authorities reported. Despite the wildfire not far from Athens International Airport, fire crews remain on alert due to still strong winds. Impact of the fires The fire, which led to the evacuation of 300 people, destroyed a few houses and vehicles, local mayor Dimitris Markou told public broadcaster ERT. It also disrupted ferries to and from tourist islands in the western Aegean, including Mykonos. Upcoming weather forecast Greece has so far been spared from the heatwave roasting parts of Europe, particularly Spain, Portugal, and France. However, starting this weekend, temperatures are expected to rise and reach up to 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas of the country. Hot, dry weather is not unusual for Greece at this time of year, contributing to the heightened risk of devastating wildfires that have plagued the country in recent years.
