As wildfire season begins, can Greece make tourists feel safe?

Yahoo

06-05-2025

This year, Greece's annual infernos decided not to wait for the official start of wildfire season on May 1.
In the dry and warm month of March alone, the Greek fire service recorded around 1,359 outbreaks of forest and bushfires. Currently, a large area north-east of Athens is burning.
Stormy winds, as is often the case, are fuelling the flames near the village of Keratea, making it almost impossible for firefighters to contain the blaze.
Is all this a glimpse of what lies ahead?
The government says it is better prepared than before, but is also warning about significant risks.
Images of stormy winds throwing walls of fire, 10 metres high, towards hotels in Greece were seen around the world in 2023. The sheer horror facing tourists in the country's holiday hotspots will be remembered by many considering a trip there this summer.
In July of 2023, some 20,000 tourists and residents in the south-east of the island of Rhodes needed to be evacuated in the space of just hours, followed by a days-long battle against the flames. The fires of 2023 showed that nothing would ever be the same again in Greece.
'The climate crisis is reality'
"We have to acknowledge that the worst is still ahead of us regarding the climate crisis, and we must be prepared for the worst-case scenarios," said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during a visit to the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection late in April.
"The climate crisis is already a reality – with hotter and drier summers that encourage the spread of fires."
Nowadays, Greeks and tourists alike fear the destructive power of wildfires. Fans of the holiday island of Rhodes will not forget the massive fires that devastated the south-east of the island in 2023.
Officials say they are not only bolstering their fire departments, but also improving how they contact tourists in the event of nearby wildfires.
To protect tourists, civil protection authorities are now sending alerts to all smartphones – including those of foreigners – warning about fires, storm surges, earthquakes and extreme weather conditions.
For all visitors to the country, it is crucial to follow the warnings issued by civil protection authorities, officials say.
At the same time, the Greek fire service has been reinforced and now includes around 18,000 personnel – 20% more than two years ago. Additionally, 2,500 seasonal firefighters have been recruited.
The number of volunteer firefighters has reached approximately 4,500, with a further 5,500 volunteers from environmental, nature and animal protection organisations also contributing.
According to civil protection authorities, the country has about 85 firefighting planes and helicopters at its disposal this year. However, the majority of these aircraft are leased, while the country's own fleet continues to shrink despite the high risk of fires, the daily newspaper Kathimerini recently criticized.
This is partly due to the fact that many of the Canadair firefighting planes have been in service for decades and require constant maintenance, the newspaper reports. While seven new planes have been ordered, these will not be delivered until 2028 at the earliest.
Technology helps – but not always
Eighty drones are now in use to identify fire hotspots early. However, even modern technology cannot prevent every disaster.
During the devastating fires north-east of Athens last August, the first flames were detected by a drone immediately, and the first firefighting helicopter dropped its load over the fire within minutes – to no avail.
Prolonged drought and strong winds allowed the fire to develop into the largest forest fire of the year.
Within days, more than 10,000 hectares of land were burned, over 40 villages had to be evacuated, one person lost their life, and many lost their homes.