Firefighters In Greece Struggle To Save Coastal Resort As Winds Rage
8/1/2026 1:02:19 PM
Hundreds of firefighters in Greece on Aug 1 were battling to save a popular coastal resort north-west of Athens as violent winds continued to lash the country, hampering operations.
The fire department said over 300 firefighters were operating in the area of Porto Germeno, some 70km north-west of Athens in the region of Viotia.
“Because of the winds, there are three separate fronts in Porto Germeno,” fire department deputy spokesman Yiannis Artopios told state TV ERT.
Nearly 30 aircraft had been authorised to deploy to the area, but were unable to operate because of the wind, he added.
“Objectively the day is very difficult,” Artopios said.
Dimos Economou, who lives in nearby Vilia, came to assist the operation but “at the moment, there’s no way to put the fire out. We’re trying, but the wind is so strong,” he told AFP in Porto Germeno.
“Many homes have burned. As far as I know, there have been no fatalities, but many houses have been destroyed,” Economou added as the odour of smoke hung heavily in the air.
According to meteo.gr, the weather service of the National Observatory of Athens, winds up to 130kmh were recorded on Aug 1.
The fire broke out on July 31 near the neighbouring coastal village of Agios Vasileios.
Residents initially ignored a civil protection call to evacuate, and some 300 people had to be rescued by sea.
Up to 150 homes in Porto Germeno are believed to have been damaged by the fire, Dimitris Pagonis, a senior civil protection official from the nearby town of Mandra, told Skai TV.
Inside the town, a middle-aged volunteer told AFP that no one was coordinating the response.
“No one is managing the situation... there are houses that haven’t burned yet... animals that need to be rescued... but there’s no one here to tell us whether we can go in or not,” said Costas Liberopoulos.
Theodore Giannaros, a wildfire meteorologist and senior researcher at the National Observatory of Athens on Aug 1 said the damage to the Porto Germeno area was “inconceivable”.
“The area that has been affected appears to exceed 4,000ha to 5,000ha,” he said in a Facebook post.
Wildfires have flared in several parts of the country this week, including on the popular island of Crete, and three firefighters have so far lost their lives.
On July 31, a fire engine crew made a narrow escape near Porto Germeno after the vehicle caught fire.
Τhe fires in Crete have affected nearly 5,000ha on the island, according to meteo.gr.
Another fire on the tourist island of Paros earlier this week burned nearly 1,000ha, it said.
On July 31, another fire threatened the suburb of Haidari west of Athens that had to be partly evacuated.
A maximum fire risk alert has been issued for Aug 1 in the greater Athens area, parts of the Peloponnese and Crete, central Greece and the border region with Turkey.
Greece’s geography, with its hundreds of islands, complicates the rapid deployment of emergency responders.
Hit hard by the climate crisis like the rest of the Mediterranean region, the country is plagued by wildfires every summer due to high temperatures, frequent heat waves, and drought.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned on July 30 that Greece – which had been relatively spared from heatwaves and major fires earlier this summer, unlike France and Spain – was headed for “difficult days”. AFP
The fire department said over 300 firefighters were operating in the area of Porto Germeno, some 70km north-west of Athens in the region of Viotia.
“Because of the winds, there are three separate fronts in Porto Germeno,” fire department deputy spokesman Yiannis Artopios told state TV ERT.
Nearly 30 aircraft had been authorised to deploy to the area, but were unable to operate because of the wind, he added.
“Objectively the day is very difficult,” Artopios said.
Dimos Economou, who lives in nearby Vilia, came to assist the operation but “at the moment, there’s no way to put the fire out. We’re trying, but the wind is so strong,” he told AFP in Porto Germeno.
“Many homes have burned. As far as I know, there have been no fatalities, but many houses have been destroyed,” Economou added as the odour of smoke hung heavily in the air.
According to meteo.gr, the weather service of the National Observatory of Athens, winds up to 130kmh were recorded on Aug 1.
The fire broke out on July 31 near the neighbouring coastal village of Agios Vasileios.
Residents initially ignored a civil protection call to evacuate, and some 300 people had to be rescued by sea.
Up to 150 homes in Porto Germeno are believed to have been damaged by the fire, Dimitris Pagonis, a senior civil protection official from the nearby town of Mandra, told Skai TV.
Inside the town, a middle-aged volunteer told AFP that no one was coordinating the response.
“No one is managing the situation... there are houses that haven’t burned yet... animals that need to be rescued... but there’s no one here to tell us whether we can go in or not,” said Costas Liberopoulos.
Theodore Giannaros, a wildfire meteorologist and senior researcher at the National Observatory of Athens on Aug 1 said the damage to the Porto Germeno area was “inconceivable”.
“The area that has been affected appears to exceed 4,000ha to 5,000ha,” he said in a Facebook post.
Wildfires have flared in several parts of the country this week, including on the popular island of Crete, and three firefighters have so far lost their lives.
On July 31, a fire engine crew made a narrow escape near Porto Germeno after the vehicle caught fire.
Τhe fires in Crete have affected nearly 5,000ha on the island, according to meteo.gr.
Another fire on the tourist island of Paros earlier this week burned nearly 1,000ha, it said.
On July 31, another fire threatened the suburb of Haidari west of Athens that had to be partly evacuated.
A maximum fire risk alert has been issued for Aug 1 in the greater Athens area, parts of the Peloponnese and Crete, central Greece and the border region with Turkey.
Greece’s geography, with its hundreds of islands, complicates the rapid deployment of emergency responders.
Hit hard by the climate crisis like the rest of the Mediterranean region, the country is plagued by wildfires every summer due to high temperatures, frequent heat waves, and drought.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned on July 30 that Greece – which had been relatively spared from heatwaves and major fires earlier this summer, unlike France and Spain – was headed for “difficult days”. AFP