Two killed in Greece as wildfire rages near seaside town

Greek authorities say two people have died overnight

A resident reacts as a wildfire approaches the village of Ano Loutro as fanned by strong winds raged uncontrolled despite the attempts of hundreds of firefighters (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Two people have died in a large wildfire burning near a seaside town in central Greece.

The fire service said about 350 firefighters, assisted by eight water-dropping aircraft, managed early Monday to largely bring under control the blaze near Xylokastro in the Peloponnese region.

A Fire Service spokesman said that 27 forest fires have erupted across Greece in the last 24 hours and authorities triggered a red warning in several regions for Sunday and Monday due to strong winds.

Half a dozen villages were ordered evacuated overnight as a precaution after the blaze broke out on Sunday. The flames were fanned on by very strong winds blowing through forests left tinder-dry by a warm spring and hot summer.

Authorities said the two dead were believed to be local residents declared missing late Sunday. Nobody else was believed to be missing.

Greek police spokeswoman Constantina Dimoglidou said the recovered bodies were severely burnt and that laboratory tests were necessary for their identification.

A wildfire approaches the village of Kallithea (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The fire brigade has launched an investigation, the Greek Citizen’s Protection Ministry said.

There were no immediate reports of burned homes in the affected area, some 150 kilometers (93 miles) southwest of Athens.

Greece, like other southern European countries, is plagued by destructive wildfires every summer. Over the past few months, authorities have had to cope with more than 4,500 wildfires.

In August fires spread in the region around Athens. The blaze burned 40 square miles of land northeast of the Greek capital and came within just miles of reaching a tourist-packed centre.

The blaze, which began on August 11, broke out from a forest off Varnavas town near the ancient town of Marathon, 35 km (22 miles) from the capital and into Athens’ northern suburbs.

According to an updated estimate by the National Observatory of Athens, over the past eight years 450 sq. kilometers (174 sq. miles) of forest have been burned in the Attica region that includes Athens. That amounts to 37% of the region’s total forested area.

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.