Greece battles new fire near Athens driven by winds

A new wildfire erupted in Greece on Monday morning, southeast of the capital Athens, fueled by strong winds exceeding 70 kilometres per hour, according to firefighters. A total of 172 firefighters and about 40 vehicles were dispatched to combat the blaze in Kouvaras, located 60 km southeast of Athens in the Attica region. The fire service reported that two water-bombing aircraft and four helicopters are also participating in the effort.

The village of Agios Stylianos, situated near Kouvaras, has been mandated to evacuate by civil protection authorities. This marks the second fire near Athens this summer, following one that occurred 10 days ago northwest of the Greek capital, which scorched over 11,000 hectares of pine forests and farmland. The intense gusts, reaching up to 130 km/h, delayed efforts to bring the fire under control by five days.

Regrettably, two helicopter crew members lost their lives when their aircraft collided while battling the flames.

Greece, like the broader Mediterranean region, has witnessed a surge in both the frequency and intensity of wildfires, a trend experts attribute to climate change. The country is currently on extreme alert, with several regions classified as being at very high fire risk. Experts have cautioned about the escalating severity of fires in Attica, the region housing Athens. Between 2017 and 2026, 42 percent of the total forest area in the region was consumed by flames due to 15 major fires.