{
  "id": 37690,
  "title": "Wildfires: More than 500 firefighting forces deployed: Fires in Greece spreading",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/waldbrande-mehr-als-500-feuerwehrkrafte-im-einsatz-feuer-in",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-02T07:50:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/waldbraende-feuer-in-griechenland-breiten-sich-aus/100244489.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Athens - On Saturday evening, residents and tourists were forced to evacuate the towns of Alepochori, Psatha, and Zachouli, located about 60 kilometers west of Athens, as well as other villages and towns in the region. Fires were also raging approximately 100 kilometers further west and in the north of the Peloponnesian Peninsula. The Ministry of Civil Protection sent out SMS alerts and evacuation warnings to the affected areas, urging people to take notice of the thick smoke and approaching danger.\n\nThe flames spread rapidly, particularly around the village of Porto Germeno, fueled by strong winds that made aerial firefighting efforts difficult. In the early evening hours, a few fire-fighting helicopters managed to take off as the wind eased slightly. However, as night fell, the air operations were once again halted, leaving ground rescue teams struggling to keep up. Despite the presence of around 500 firefighters, including volunteers from Romania, France, and numerous local helpers, progress was slow.\n\nFurthermore, a specialized forest fire unit from North Rhine-Westphalia also joined the firefighting efforts.",
  "summary": "Several towns in Greece are being called on to evacuate, while in France the fires are under control. Meanwhile, a state of emergency is being declared outside Europe.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}