Fire situation in June was grimmer than thought

Despite a widespread perception that the fire situation has improved this year, the data paint a different picture. 

More specifically, five times more land was burnt in June than the average from 2010 to 2024, according to data collected by the BEYOND Operational Unit of the Athens Observatory's Institute for Astronomy, Astrophysics, Space Applications, and Remote Sensing.

Based on the 18 largest forest fires that broke out in Greece in June, the total burnt area is of the order of 9,800 hectares. The largest fire in terms of land coverage occurred in the area near the artificial lake Pinios (3,620 hectares), on the border of Achaia and Ilia in the Peloponnese.

Researchers said the estimates are "the result of detailed mapping using high-resolution Sentinel 2 (10 m) satellite images from the Hellenic Mirror Site, combined with the record of burned areas from...