Latest news with #Chios
Asharq Al-Awsat
27-06-2025
- Climate
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Forest Fire Near Athens Under Control, But Area on High Alert
Greek firefighters said Friday that a forest blaze that had forced evacuations around Athens was under control, but warned that scorching temperatures were keeping fire risk at a highly elevated level around the capital and on northern Aegean islands. Greece has become particularly vulnerable in recent years to fires in the summer fueled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change. The fire around Athens broke on Thursday afternoon near the towns of Palaia Fokaia and Thymari, around 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Athens, and forced the evacuation of five villages popular with local and foreign tourists, AFP reported. Though it was under control on Friday, a volatile combination of high temperatures and strong winds meant that a high risk of other fires breaking out remained, especially in the Attica region around the Greek capital and some islands in the north Aegean Sea, authorities said. A spokesman for the fire service told AFP that over 100 firefighters with 37 vehicles and a helicopter were on standby near Palaia Fokaia and Thymari. Fields, olive groves and some houses were ravaged by the blaze. The blaze came on the heels of another fire on the island of Chios -- Greece's fifth-largest island -- which had destroyed more than 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of land in four days. Weather agencies forecast a heatwave in the coming days with temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), including in the capital Athens.
Arab News
27-06-2025
- Climate
- Arab News
Forest fire near Athens under control, but area on high alert
ATHENS: Greek firefighters said Friday that a forest blaze that had forced evacuations around Athens was under control, but warned that scorching temperatures were keeping fire risk at a highly elevated level around the capital and on northern Aegean islands. Greece has become particularly vulnerable in recent years to fires in the summer fueled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change. The fire around Athens broke on Thursday afternoon near the towns of Palaia Fokaia and Thymari, around 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Athens, and forced the evacuation of five villages popular with local and foreign tourists. Though it was under control on Friday, a volatile combination of high temperatures and strong winds meant that a high risk of other fires breaking out remained, especially in the Attica region around the Greek capital and some islands in the north Aegean Sea, authorities said. A spokesman for the fire service told AFP that over 100 firefighters with 37 vehicles and a helicopter were on standby near Palaia Fokaia and Thymari. Fields, olive groves and some houses were ravaged by the blaze. The blaze came on the heels of another fire on the island of Chios — Greece's fifth-largest island — which had destroyed more than 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of land in four days. Weather agencies forecast a heatwave in the coming days with temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), including in the capital Athens.
Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Dozens evacuated as forest fire rages near Athens
A violent forest fire devastated several seaside towns east of Athens on Thursday, damaging homes and prompting dozens of evacuations in a popular destination for Greek and foreign tourists. The fire broke around 12.30pm local time (9.30am UK time) near the towns of Palaia Fokaia and Thymari, around 30 miles east of Athens, and forced the evacuation of five villages, according to Greek firefighters. It comes on the heels of another fire on the island of Chios - Greece 's fifth-largest island - which as of Wednesday had destroyed more than 10,000 acres of land in four days. 'Ground and aerial forces are waging an enormous battle against the flames,' said fire service spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, adding that around 130 firefighters as well as volunteers were fighting the blaze, and around a dozen planes and helicopters had been deployed. 'This is a difficult fire fuelled by strong winds,' another fire service official told AFP. Kostas Tsiguas, president of the firefighters' union, said at least 50 people had been evacuated so far. Temperatures reached up to 40 degrees Celsius in the Athens region on Thursday, with forecasts indicating that the heatwave could continue until Saturday. In the past 24 hours, 45 fires had broken out in Greece, firefighters said. 'Residents told us the fire started because of a spark from a faulty electric cable,' he told national TV. Greece has become particularly vulnerable in recent years to fires in summer fuelled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change. Earlier this week, hundreds of firefighters backed up by aircraft were battling a wildfire burning out of control for the third day on the Greek island of Chios after authorities declared a state of emergency. Towering walls of flames tore through forest and agricultural land on the island, where authorities have sent firefighting reinforcements from Athens, the northern city of Thessaloniki and the nearby island of Lesbos. By Tuesday morning, the fire department said 444 firefighters with 85 vehicles were tackling the blaze on scattered fronts. Eleven helicopters and two water-dropping planes were providing air support. Emergency services have issued evacuation orders for villages and settlements in the area since Sunday, when fires broke out near the island's main town. Apocalyptic scenes captured in images and videos showed firefighters battling the flames as the wildfires raged on, while thick plumes of black smoke filled the sky. Other footage showed helicopters spraying water over smoke-filled fields. The fire department has sent an arson investigation team to Chios to examine the cause of the blaze. 'We are faced with simultaneous fires in multiple, geographically unconnected parts of the island - a pattern that cannot be considered coincidental,' Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Giannis Kefalogiannis said Monday from Chios. Authorities, he said, were 'very seriously examining the possibility of an organized criminal act, in other words arson.' The minister said police forces on the island had been reinforced, while military patrols had been doubled.
Daily Mail
26-06-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Dozens evacuated as forest fire rages near Athens just days after blaze ripped through another Greek holiday island
A violent forest fire devastated several seaside towns east of Athens on Thursday, damaging homes and prompting dozens of evacuations in a popular destination for Greek and foreign tourists. The fire broke around 12.30pm local time (9.30am UK time) near the towns of Palaia Fokaia and Thymari, around 30 miles east of Athens, and forced the evacuation of five villages, according to Greek firefighters. It comes on the heels of another fire on the island of Chios - Greece 's fifth-largest island - which as of Wednesday had destroyed more than 10,000 acres of land in four days. 'Ground and aerial forces are waging an enormous battle against the flames,' said fire service spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, adding that around 130 firefighters as well as volunteers were fighting the blaze, and around a dozen planes and helicopters had been deployed. 'This is a difficult fire fuelled by strong winds,' another fire service official told AFP. Kostas Tsiguas, president of the firefighters' union, said at least 50 people had been evacuated so far. Temperatures reached up to 40 degrees Celsius in the Athens region on Thursday, with forecasts indicating that the heatwave could continue until Saturday. In the past 24 hours, 45 fires had broken out in Greece, firefighters said. In Athens, police closed off the main coastal avenue that connects the capital to Cape Sounion, near the fire area. The region is popular among foreigners and Greek tourists, with many Athenians owning secondary homes or vacationing in the area. The deputy mayor of Palaia Fokaia, Stavros Petropoulos, described the situation as 'dramatic'. 'Residents told us the fire started because of a spark from a faulty electric cable,' he told national TV. Greece has become particularly vulnerable in recent years to fires in summer fuelled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change. Earlier this week, hundreds of firefighters backed up by aircraft were battling a wildfire burning out of control for the third day on the Greek island of Chios after authorities declared a state of emergency. Towering walls of flames tore through forest and agricultural land on the island, where authorities have sent firefighting reinforcements from Athens, the northern city of Thessaloniki and the nearby island of Lesbos. By Tuesday morning, the fire department said 444 firefighters with 85 vehicles were tackling the blaze on scattered fronts. Eleven helicopters and two water-dropping planes were providing air support. Emergency services have issued evacuation orders for villages and settlements in the area since Sunday, when fires broke out near the island's main town. Apocalyptic scenes captured in images and videos showed firefighters battling the flames as the wildfires raged on, while thick plumes of black smoke filled the sky. Other footage showed helicopters spraying water over smoke-filled fields. The fire department has sent an arson investigation team to Chios to examine the cause of the blaze. 'We are faced with simultaneous fires in multiple, geographically unconnected parts of the island - a pattern that cannot be considered coincidental,' Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Giannis Kefalogiannis said Monday from Chios. Greece has declared a state of emergency as wildfires burned for the third day in the island of Chios Authorities, he said, were 'very seriously examining the possibility of an organized criminal act, in other words arson.' The minister said police forces on the island had been reinforced, while military patrols had been doubled. 'Whoever thinks that they can play with the lives of citizens and cause chaos with premeditated actions will be led to court,' Kefalogiannis said. 'Arson is a serious crime and will be dealt with as such.'
The Guardian
25-06-2025
- The Guardian
Greece wildfires: woman charged with unintentional arson after cigarette allegedly started blaze on Chios
A Georgian woman accused of accidentally igniting one of several wildfires that have raged relentlessly across the eastern Aegean isle of Chios will appear in court to face charges of unintentional arson. Greek fire brigade officials said the woman, employed as a housekeeper on Chios, the ancestral home of some of Greece's wealthiest shipping families, had 'confessed' to triggering the blaze when she negligently discarded a cigarette. Speaking from the island, Lt Constantine Kozanis told the Guardian the unidentified woman would be tried on Thursday. 'She is being held in detention overnight and will appear in court tomorrow,' he said. 'Because she was caught red-handed the process will move fast now that she has appeared before a public prosecutor. In her testimony to fire brigade investigators she admitted she had thrown a cigarette that had ignited one of [the five] fronts.' Witnesses also reported seeing the incident. More than 400 firefighters, backed by water-dumping aircraft and hundreds of volunteers, have been battling blazes on Chios since Sunday, forcing authorities to call a state of emergency and dozens of villages to be evacuated. Blazes broke out in different areas of the island simultaneously. As the fires spread, fuelled by gale force winds, officials raised the spectre of some of the conflagrations being started deliberately, saying it was otherwise hard to explain how they had erupted in such diverse areas at the same time. Giorgos Toumbos, president of the Chios Mastic Producers Union, told the Greek daily Kathimerini late on Tuesday that efforts were focused on putting out flames raging across a prime plateau to prevent the fires engulfing mastic villages – 14th-century fortified villages famous for their production of mastic resin – farther south. A reported 40,000 hectares have been reduced to ashes on the island. It is unclear how many tourists were visiting Chios when the conflagrations erupted on 22 June. Kozanis said the fires were receding but were by no means 'entirely under control'. 'They have yet to be fully contained,' he added. 'Yes, they are in recession but they have not been extinguished.' A Mediterranean hotspot, Greece is on the frontline of the climate emergency with the country experiencing a dramatic uptick in wildfires because of higher temperatures and ever-drier conditions in recent years. Faced with a dramatic increase in forest fires, Greece's centre-right government has toughened penalties for arson and ecological destruction with the criminal code foreseeing prison terms of up to 20 years and fines of up to €200,000 for such crimes. Greece is experiencing its first heatwave of the summer with temperatures expected to nudge 40C in the coming days.
