Greek fire services responded to 60 separate wildfires across the country over a single 24-hour period on Saturday, testing the limits of emergency resources.
Central Macedonia in the north of the country was the epicenter of the wildfires, recording 15 distinct blazes that triggered multiple emergency evacuations in the suburbs of Thessaloniki and the popular tourist destination of the Chalkidiki peninsula.
While crews fought flames threatening residential properties in Oraiokastro on the outskirts of Thessaloniki, authorities deployed a specialized arson investigation unit to determine the exact origin of the blaze. The fire ignited at 8:30 p.m local time prompting the civil protection ministry to issue a 112 emergency text warning the locals and visitors.
Residents in the Anthoupolis area were instructed to immediately evacuate toward the Titan district. Forty firefighters, supported by heavy machinery and a water-bombing aircraft, worked into the night to secure the perimeter. Throughout the operation, drones equipped with thermal cameras supplied live situational feeds to the national crisis management center in Athens.
Other wildfires in Greece
Earlier in the afternoon, dry conditions fueled another severe fire in the Propontis municipality of Chalkidiki. Operating in a Category 4 extreme risk zone, flames encroached rapidly upon the settlements of Kipoupolis and Ampelakia. Authorities issued direct evacuation orders for locals to relocate to Nea Kallikrateia. A massive deployment of 45 firefighters, five aircraft, and three helicopters rushed to the scene to prevent structural damage. As a precautionary measure, a coastguard firefighting vessel actively patrolled the nearby coastline too.
The elevated Category 4 risk index heavily impacted the regional units of Kilkis and Chalkidona throughout the day. In the village of Kristoni, Kilkis, in the north of the country, a sustained aerial response involving four planes and two helicopters was required until sunset to suppress the flames. A separate fire in nearby Leipsydrio mobilized 55 personnel and seven aircraft. Both incidents resulted in 112 emergency alerts, though authorities confirmed homes remained safe. A midday fire in Koufalia, Chalkidona, near Thessaloniki, prompted similar civil protection warnings and a rapid response from 35 firefighters.
Firefighters also successfully managed localized outbreaks across the wider Greek mainland. In the Attica region, operating under a lower Category 3 fire risk, rapid interventions neutralized fires in Aspropyrgos, the Saranta Martyres hill in Acharnes, and Spata. The Spata operation alone required 47 firefighters and four aerial water-bombers to halt the spread. A residential lot fire in Neoi Epivates, Thessaloniki, was also contained by late afternoon following localized warnings, alongside a smaller brush fire in Grevena.
Island communities saw swift firefighting responses as well. In Emponas on the island of Rhodes, 30 firefighters and a helicopter secured a brush fire. Concurrently on Corfu, crews brought a blaze in Vasilika under control just minutes after extinguishing another nearby fire in the Apraos area.
Related: Greece at High Risk as Europe’s Heatwaves Intensify
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