Wildfire

A wildfire broke out near the village of Salmoni in the Rhodope regional unit of northeastern Greece on Friday.

The blaze is currently burning through low vegetation in the plain area and is being tackled by 30 firefighters with nine fire engines, along with several volunteers. Their efforts are supported by five water-dropping planes and two helicopters.

A wildfire that broke out in a mountainous area in Corinthia prefecture could be headed to a residential area, a regional governor has said.

The fire, which started earlier near the village of Stimaga, is blazing in an inaccessible ravine, Dimitris Ptochos said.

A charred body was discovered in a car near a wildfire burning in agroforest land near Polichnitos on Lesvos island.

The elderly driver, believed to be the sole occupant, reportedly died when the vehicle veered off the road and hit a tree, igniting the fire.

A very high risk of fire (risk category 4) is predicted tomorrow in the Regional Units of Evros and Rodopi, as per the Fire Risk Prediction Map issued by the General Secretariat of Civil Protection of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection.

Additionally, temperatures will rise significantly on Friday, reaching the 40s in even more areas.

As a week-long heatwave continued on Thursday, authorities have issued a fire hazard warning for Friday.

According to the prediction map published by the Civil Protection Agency, two regions are considered to be at very high risk of wildfires, ranking at Level 4 (orange) out of a maximum of 5: They are Evros and Rodopi, in northeastern Greece.

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.

Extreme wildfires are becoming more common, more intense and more of a pressing problem for public health. This week, more than 20,000 people in Northern California evacuated their homes as flames destroyed houses and cars.

A prosecutor on Thursday charged a 35-year-old man with unintended arson over a wildfire that started in the Glyka Nera area of East Attica on Wednesday. 

The man is alleged to be one of the four people arrested by police on Wednesday. The suspects are said to have been flying a drone that fell in the area, causing the blaze.

Fire service officials have arrested a man accused of operating the drone that likely caused the wildfire in the East Attica area of Glyka Nera on Wednesday.

Heavy lightning triggered two fires on the Greek island of Thassos on Wednesday, the fire brigade said, a day after firefighting forces tamed wildfires fanned by unusually strong winds on two other islands.