Firefighters battle second day of blaze on Greek island

Firefighters have been battling a forest fire on the Greek Aegean island of Skyros for a second day, with local mayor Kyriakos Antonopoulos expressing hope that it could be brought under control soon. The fire, which started on Saturday, led to the evacuation of two small communities but did not pose a threat to any inhabited areas on Sunday.

Reinforcements of approximately 3,000 firefighters were rushed to the island from neighboring regions. Fire commandos with machinery and excavators are working to clear a path in a challenging area. Water bombers were able to operate following a lull in strong winds overnight. Dozens of aircraft and helicopters are assisting the 100 firefighters on Skyros.

Smoke from the fire was visible on Sunday over Athens. Skyros, located 110 kilometers northeast of Athens, is a mountainous island in the Aegean Sea, part of the Sporades archipelago. Greece has experienced several major wildfires since late July, fueled by strong winds, with 34 fires reported in the past 24 hours. Unfortunately, five firefighters have died, including a Danish pilot killed in a helicopter collision while battling a blaze near Athens earlier this month.

Last week, about 500 tourists were evacuated from beaches on the Halkidiki peninsula as a forest fire threatened two resorts. So far, around 20,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land have burned this year in major fires near Athens, Crete, and Paros. Greece is currently on maximum wildfire alert, with tourists on islands and beaches, both local and foreign.

Winds are expected to ease later on Sunday. For the first time in 10 days, no area in Greece is above the highest fire risk level of 3. Experts attribute the growing wildfire risk to human-fueled climate change, causing more severe droughts and extreme weather events.