On Saturday, hundreds of firefighters fought to save Porto Germeno, a well-known resort in the Gulf of Corinth, near the cities of Thebes and Athens. Strong winds continued to sweep across the area, complicating rescue operations, according to reports from France Presse.
More than 300 firefighters were deployed to the location, situated about 70 kilometers northwest of Athens.
“The fire has reached the sea. It is certain that some homes have been damaged,” a spokesperson for the firefighters stated.
“The winds are blowing very fiercely. Helicopters are attempting to assist as best they can, but some have been redirected to another fire in the Peloponnese where conditions are more favorable,” the spokesperson added.
Winds reached speeds of up to 130 km/h on Saturday, as reported by the meteorological service meteo.gr of the National Observatory of Athens.
Residents Initially Ignored Evacuation Orders
The fire broke out on Friday near the coastal village of Agios Vasileios. Residents in the area initially disregarded evacuation orders issued by civil protection, leading to the evacuation of approximately 300 individuals by sea.
The damage around Porto Germeno has been described as “unimaginable” by Theodore Giannaros, a meteorologist specializing in wildfires at the National Observatory of Athens. “The affected area appears to exceed 4,000 to 5,000 hectares,” he noted.
The fire has wreaked havoc in Porto Germeno, according to the Greek publication in.gr, which also published images from the site.
Mitsotakis Warns of “Difficult Days” Ahead
This week, wildfires broke out in several regions of Greece, particularly on the islands of Crete and Paros, resulting in the tragic loss of three firefighters. On Friday, another fire threatened the suburb of Haidari, located west of Athens, which had to be partially evacuated.
A maximum wildfire risk alert was declared for Saturday in the metropolitan area of Athens, as well as in certain parts of the Peloponnese, Crete, central Greece, and near Turkey.
These new challenges come after Greece had been relatively spared from heatwaves and significant wildfires earlier this summer, unlike France and Spain.
However, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned on Thursday that the country is heading towards “difficult days.”
Severely impacted by the climate crisis, Greece faces summer wildfires annually due to high temperatures, frequent heatwaves, and drought conditions. Its geography, with hundreds of islands, complicates the rapid deployment of intervention teams.
