ATHENS — Greek firefighters backed by aircraft battled a blaze spreading outside Athens for a second day on Wednesday, one of hundreds ravaging a country where wildfires have already killed 20 people this week. Thousands of residents and tourists have fled their homes nationwide while authorities struggle to contain the flames. The fires have also killed several animals and scorched vast tracts of forestland, prompting President Kyriakos Mitsotakis to declare three days of mourning for the fallen.
In apocalyptic scenes, ferries carried away more than 1,000 people from seaside villages and beaches on Evia, Greece’s second largest island, overnight as towering flames and dense smoke swept across the landscape. Families clutching babies and older adults crowded onto small ferries while others walked along pebble beaches toward the boats.
A fire roared through the popular resort of Platanistos on the northern island of Evia, prompting residents to evacuate. The blaze spread to the nearby village of Thrakomakedones, where some houses were engulfed in flames. Firefighters battling the flames used water-bombing aircraft and bulldozers to keep the fires from reaching populated areas.
Hundreds of blazes have erupted across Greece since a heatwave set in on Friday, fanned by dry weather and high winds. The government has declared a state of emergency in several regions to boost efforts to contain the fires, and it has appealed for help from around Europe.
The fire department has said some 355 wildfires have erupted since Friday, including the blaze burning outside Athens. In the southern Peloponnese region of Mani, local officials have made televised pleas for more water-dropping aircraft to tackle the fires spreading quickly through the region’s rugged mountains and forested hills. “This is a biblical catastrophe,” East Mani deputy mayor Dimitra Drakoulakou told state broadcaster ERT, adding that more than 70% of the area was charred.
Other regional authorities also reported large fires raging in their areas, and in the northwestern region of Evros, bordering Turkey, a wildfire burned for a fifth day, forcing authorities to evacuate homes and a campsite and closing roads. Thousands of residents and tourists have fled the area, while two Air Force pilots were killed when their plane clipped trees as it dropped water on a blaze in the village of Platanistos.
In a separate incident, police arrested three men suspected of starting the fires to steal money from insurance companies. The men, all residents of the central town of Kalamperohia, were charged with causing damage, theft, and criminal possession of weapons. The fires have also affected tourism, with dozens of hotels and campsites closed and many tour operators urging visitors to stay away. Meanwhile, in Athens, the Acropolis resumed afternoon closing hours on Wednesday as a precaution for the heat. Tourists and other visitors were asked to wear hats, sunglasses, and light clothing. They were also encouraged to drink water and rest from the sun.
