A fast-moving wildfire has devastated holiday homes and forested areas along the Greek coastline, just 40 kilometers south of Athens. The fire broke out on Thursday in Palaia Fokaia, where over 100 firefighters, aided by two dozen aircraft, worked tirelessly to control the flames. High winds and soaring temperatures, reaching nearly 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), fueled the blaze during the first heatwave of the summer.
Authorities have evacuated around 40 people from the area, with orders issued for five different locations. A local town councillor, Apostolos Papadakis, urged residents to leave their homes for their safety. To further assist with potential evacuations, the coastguard has stationed two patrol boats and nine private vessels in the vicinity.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, but an arson investigation unit has been dispatched to the scene to look into the matter. Local mayor Dimitris Loukas reported that several houses have likely been damaged by the flames.
The wildfire risk in the wider Athens area and several Aegean islands is currently rated at Level 4 on a 5-point scale, due to the extreme weather conditions. This heatwave is expected to persist through the weekend.
Earlier this week, firefighters spent four days battling another major wildfire on the eastern Aegean island of Chios, where a state of emergency was declared. A woman has been arrested on suspicion of starting that fire.
Greece has invested heavily in wildfire prevention and response, spending hundreds of millions of euros to help affected households and farmers. This year, the country has increased its firefighting workforce to a record 18,000 personnel. Climate change is believed to be a significant factor in the extreme weather conditions contributing to these wildfires, affecting billions of people globally.