Greece is battling a series of destructive wildfires that have scorched thousands of hectares of forest and farmland, damaged homes and forced evacuations, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warning that the country faces “extremely difficult” days as powerful winds continue to hamper firefighting efforts.
Authorities said nearly 500 firefighters were deployed around the coastal village of Porto Germeno, about 70 kilometres northwest of Athens, where one of the country’s largest active wildfires continued to spread over the weekend. Crews worked to stop the flames from advancing toward the western outskirts of the Greek capital after the blaze crossed mountainous terrain overnight.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Mitsotakis said Greece was experiencing extreme weather conditions, with wind gusts reaching up to 100 kilometres per hour.
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“When the winds blow with such force, even the dozens of aircraft we have at our disposal cannot operate safely,” the prime minister said, adding that there are times when the intensity of natural disasters exceeds operational capabilities.
Emergency responders were also battling another major wildfire in Aigialia in the northern Peloponnese, while a fresh blaze erupted on the Ionian island of Cephalonia, a popular tourist destination.
Greek authorities arrested a 44-year-old man on Sunday on suspicion of deliberately starting the Cephalonia fire, according to the state news agency ANA. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
According to meteo.gr, early assessments showed that more than 6,500 hectares of forest and agricultural land had already burned around the Gulf of Corinth and Porto Germeno. Wildfire meteorologist Theodore Giannaros later estimated the affected area could exceed 10,000 hectares, raising the likelihood that the blaze would be officially classified as a “megafire.”
Residents described scenes of devastation as flames rapidly engulfed villages.
Minas Tsotdanis, a farmer whose house was destroyed, said more than a dozen homes were lost in his village.
“Even if my home had been spared, all I would see would be this: a burned forest,” he said while watching the fire spread.
Officials said Porto Germeno and neighbouring communities had been evacuated after the fire broke out on Friday, with police officers conducting door-to-door evacuations in Agios Nektarios as thick smoke and flames approached residential areas.
The latest disaster comes just days after separate wildfires on the islands of Crete and Paros burned another 6,000 hectares, underscoring the severity of this year’s fire season.
Civil Protection Minister Evangelos Tournas said firefighters had been stretched to their limits by dozens of outbreaks across the country. He noted that gale-force winds created dangerous turbulence that frequently prevented firefighting aircraft from collecting water or carrying out aerial drops safely.
The crisis has also claimed the lives of three firefighters in recent days—two in Crete and one in the Peloponnese—highlighting the growing dangers facing emergency personnel.
Although winds eased slightly on Saturday night, authorities maintained a near-maximum wildfire alert for the greater Athens region, neighbouring Voiotia and the island of Evia, warning residents to remain vigilant.
Like many Mediterranean countries, Greece has experienced increasingly destructive wildfire seasons linked to prolonged heatwaves, drought and climate change, with experts warning that extreme fire events are becoming more frequent and more intense.
