EditGreece battles wildfires across country, evacuates villages
Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area dubbed "a wildfire hotspot" by scientists
Firefighters were battling wildfires across Greece and the Western Balkans on Saturday (26 July) as the south of Europe sweltered under the third heatwave of the summer, with some villages and settlements being evacuated in Greece and Albania.
Greece and the wider Balkans sweltered under the third heatwave of the summer this week, with laborers barred from work, tourists kept away from the ruins, and firefighters battling blazes scattered across the arid countryside.
Explosions could be heard as huge clouds of smoke covered Drosopigi village 25 km north of Athens, where factories with flammable material are located. Helicopters dropped water and 145 firefighters battled the flames, assisted by 44 vehicles, seven helicopters and 10 aircraft.
Two houses caught fire while residents of the nearby village Krioneri were instructed by authorities to leave towards Athens. Five people were taken to hospitals over burns and smoke inhalation.
Temperatures in Greece were forecast to reach up to 44 degrees Celsius on Saturday, the Greek weather service said.
“In the last 24 hours alone, 52 agroforestry fires broke out, 44 of which were dealt with immediately, in their initial stage,” said Vassilios Vathrakogiannis, a spokesperson for the Fire Brigade.
In neighbouring Albania, 26 fires broke out throughout the country on Saturday, following a large fire near the southern Albanian town of Delvina on Friday which injured three people and forced the evacuation of about 2,000 residents.
People rescued from beaches
On the Greek island of Evia, 128 firefighters and 29 vehicles were deployed to put out fires, assisted by six aircraft and seven helicopters, but strong winds were hampering their efforts.
Residents of the island’s Triada area were evacuated while two fire trucks were damaged and five firefighters injured during the operation.
The fire on Evia is the latest in a series of bushfires stoked by strong winds and dry conditions this month.
On the island of Kythera, residents from several settlements were evacuated to safe areas and Coast Guard forces said they rescued 138 people, including an infant, from the beach of Limnionas near the area of the fire.
In the area of Messinia, south of Athens, residents of the Kryoneri and Sellas villages were also told to leave.
These sites were on a list of Greek regions on high alert for wildfires due to record-breaking temperatures and strong winds due on Saturday.
A wildfire injured three people and forced the evacuation of about 2,000 residents near the southern Albanian town of Delvina on Friday.
“Three people have sustained burns and suffered asphyxiation,” Delvina Deputy Mayor Brunilda Meleqi told Reuters by phone.
Six villages were evacuated, and a church and 10 uninhabited houses were destroyed by the blaze, she said.
The fire’s intensity eased in the evening after two helicopters were deployed to assist firefighting efforts.
The Defence Ministry said around 60 soldiers had been dispatched to help contain the fire.
In Kosovo, authorities managed to extinguish 17 blazes fuelled by strong winds while 12 others remained active, officials said. In the southern town of Prizren, a fire engulfed a farm, killing eight cows, according to local emergency services.
Local media reported that a separate fire in eastern Kosovo killed around 40 sheep.
Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area dubbed “a wildfire hotspot” by scientists, with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast-changing climate, prompting calls for a new approach.
With Reuters.
Caption: Firefighters and volunteers battle to put out a fire burning houses in the residential area of Kryoneri, in the suburbs of Athens, Greece, 26 July 2025. Firefighting forces are battling the wildfire that broke out in Kryoneri, Attica. According to the Fire Service, the fire is considered difficult as it is spreading through a mixed area of forest and residential zones. There are reports of damage to homes, and some have been engulfed in flames. EPA/YANNIS KOLESIDIS
Updated: July 27, 2025 - 04:51
