Greece fears more wildfires as Athens counts cost of climate crisis

The country remains on high alert

Firefighters battled on Wednesday to extinguish the final pockets of a wildfire near Athens that killed a woman and forced thousands of people to flee their homes.

The blaze burned 40 square miles of land northeast of the Greek capital this week and came within just miles of reaching a tourist-packed centre.

Most of the fronts had eased three days after the inferno had first taken hold, but officials warned against complacency as firefighters were still battling sporadic flare-ups.

Temperatures were expected to hit 40C across the country, with many areas on fire alert until the end of Thursday due to strong winds and dry land. Some were still suffering from power cuts on Wednesday afternoon after power cables were taken down by the fire.

A burned roadside shrine stands in the Nea Penteli suburb of Athens (AP)

The country, which has recently tightened penalties for arson, has dealt with over 3,500 fires since May, a nearly 50 per cent increase from the same period in 2023 when it recorded 2,300 blazes.

“It is a vast area and forces are trying to ensure day and night that there won’t be any rekindlings,” Nikos Lavranos, head of the Greek federation of fire service employees, told Reuters.

Government inspectors were assessing damaged buildings and state infrastructure on Wednesday. Some fire-stricken residents returned to their scorched properties, hoping to find some belongings amidst the debris, while others were trying to overcome the shock.

Firefighting planes refill with water in Lake Marathon, to fight the last possible pockets of fire (Reuters)

Hundreds of firefighters assisted by dozens of aircraft have been tackling the blaze since Sunday as it barrelled from a forest off the town of Varnavas, 35km (22 miles) from the capital, into Athens’ northern suburbs.

The cause of the blaze has not yet been determined.

Prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the military airport of Elefsina to thank the pilots of firefighting aircraft.

“This is an effort we all make during a great climate crisis,” he said. “We must constantly improve.”

Mr Mitsotakis also said that Greece would need to wait another three years before the arrival of seven firefighting aircraft it has purchased from Canada.

The conservative government, which has announced compensation and relief measures for those impacted by the disaster, has been criticised by opposition parties over the current number of firefighters and the aircraft it deployed for the latest blaze.

Sunday’s fire broke rapidly across several fronts reaching within hours the seaside area of Nea Makri and areas around the historic town of Marathon.

By Tuesday, it had reached suburbs on the slopes of Mount Penteli, which is considered one of Athens’ last green lungs.

A woman was found dead inside a burned business in the suburb of Vrilissia, about 10km from central Athens, on Monday.