Seven years later, the searing memory of the Mati fires continues to haunt Greece. July 23, 2018 marked a day of unfathomable tragedy, as devastating blazes claimed 104 lives and scarred the nation’s collective consciousness with horrifying images.
As media coverage and poignant social media tributes from grieving families rekindle the painful memories, the critical question still echoes: what truly went wrong?
In less than twelve hours, the relentless inferno annihilated one of the most beautiful and verdant coastal areas of Attica (the Athens metropolitan area). It left approximately 2,500 homes either razed or damaged, and tragically, took many lives—from a 6-month-old infant to a 93-year-old.
The Mati fire was the world’s second-deadliest wildfire this century
The fire at Mati is the second-deadliest wildfire of the century after the 2009 bushfires in Australia, which killed 173 people. It is also the sixth-deadliest of the last century.
The flames were so intense that they trapped and burned people within their homes, vehicles, or near beaches. Thousands of vehicles and residencies were destroyed before the fire was brought under control hours later. An entire summer camp of 620 children was evacuated in an overnight operation. Many animals (wild and domestic) died or were injured due to the fire.
The then-Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras declared a state of emergency in Attica and announced a three-day period of national mourning, stating in a televised address, “The country is going through an unspeakable tragedy.”
Grief in Greece gives way to anger
After the fires, flags atop the Acropolis and the Greek Parliament flew at half mast. European flags at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels also flew at half mast in honor of the victims, and numerous countries worldwide helped or offered aid to Greece.
It is believed that most of the lives lost could have been saved. Had the authorities acted efficiently and competently, most of the people who met a horrible death that day might be with their loved ones today.
Thus, grief soon gave way to anger—directed at law enforcement and fire services for their slow response and failure to evacuate people, and at political authorities who arrived at the operations center late at night and acted as if there were no casualties.
Public anger intensified when the government shifted blame to unpermitted houses that allegedly blocked escape routes, and it grew further when no official had the decency to offer an apology or express even the slightest grief over the catastrophe.
Four officials jailed for negligence
Seven years later, in June 2025, a Greek court sentenced three former Fire Department officers and the former head of Civil Protection to prison for criminal negligence.
Fire Department officers Sotiris Terzoudis, Vassilis Matthaiopoulos, and Ioannis Fostieris, along with the former General Secretary of Civil Protection, Ioannis Kapakis, were denied suspension or commutation of their sentences and were taken to jail to begin serving five-year terms.
The judges concluded that the officials had contributed to the deaths and dozens of injuries that resulted from the fire that tore through the seaside town. Citizens were left helpless by authorities in the face of advancing flames.
The individuals were found guilty of multiple counts of homicide, bodily harm through negligence, and numerous specific acts. As the convicted individuals were escorted out of the courtroom under guard, members of the audience burst into applause, shouting, “Let’s see those handcuffs for a moment,” and, “At least apologize—still unrepentant, even now.”
The court also unanimously acquitted eleven defendants, including former Attica Regional Governor Rena Dourou and the mayors of Marathonas, Rafina-Pikermi, and Penteli at the time.
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