Greek Fire Services Battle 73 Wildfires as Five People Die

The scale of the current crisis is immense. According to Feuerwehrsprecher Oberst Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, 73 wildfires have broken out nationwide, 51 of which ignited on Friday alone. The situation has been exacerbated by violent winds that have not only fanned the flames but effectively grounded the aerial response. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis noted on Facebook that even the dozens of aircraft available to the state cannot be safely deployed when the wind blows with such force.

Chaos in Megara and the Attika Region

The most urgent threat currently centers on the city of Megara, located roughly 50 kilometers west of Athens. The mayor of Megara described the local situation as chaotic in an interview with Greek radio.

Hundreds of personnel are currently deployed in the Attika region, including support teams from France and Romania. These crews are fighting flames raging around the densely forested Kithairon mountain massif. To manage the risk to civilians, authorities have issued evacuation orders via warning SMS to several villages.

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Five Deaths and the Psatha Helicopter Collision

The human cost of the firefighting effort has climbed to five fatalities. On Sunday, two firefighting helicopters collided near Psatha, west of Athens. Television footage captured one of the aircraft bursting into flames and crashing. The two occupants—a Danish national and a Greek national—were killed. The pilots of the second helicopter managed to make an emergency landing and survived, according to the fire department.

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This tragedy follows a devastating week for emergency responders. Prior to the Psatha crash, three firefighters lost their lives during operations on the Peloponnese peninsula and the island of Crete.

Infrastructure Failures and Arson Suspicions

While weather conditions are a primary driver of the fire’s spread, the causes of the ignitions are under investigation. In the case of the massive blaze threatening Megara, the suspected cause is sparks from power lines belonging to a private wind farm network. It is believed that strong winds caused the lines to oscillate, triggering the fire. Two individuals have been detained in connection with this event.

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Other fires appear to be the result of deliberate action. A 44-year-old man was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of intentionally starting a fire on the island of Kefalonia, according to the Greek news agency Ana. Other active fronts include the region of Porto Germeno, 70 kilometers northwest of Athens, where nearly 500 firefighters are operating, and the northern Peloponnese, where approximately 100 personnel are deployed.

Prime Minister Mitsotakis has characterized the current environment as extremely difficult due to extreme weather conditions. While the Greek weather service expects winds to subside across the country today, August 3, the civil protection agency has warned that this does not yet signal an all-clear.