28-07-2025
‘We will burn': Greece battles for control as wildfires rage, with tourist areas hit
Firefighters battled five fires across the islands of Evia, Kythira and Crete, as well as in the Peloponnese area, west of Athens, as temperatures reached highs of 40C.
Giorgos Komninos, the deputy mayor of Kythira, told ERT News channel: 'If air assets don't come here, we will burn.'
He spoke of 'unimaginable destruction' and claimed there had been delays in the aerial response, with flames now threatening monasteries and tourist areas. 'Houses, beehives, olive trees have been burnt,' he added.
Czech firefighters and Italian aircraft have been deployed to assist Greek emergency services in battling the blazes, which have been worsened by strong winds.
Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, a fire department spokesman, said yesterday that the situation had improved after an 'all-night battle', though the risk of new fires still remained 'very dangerous'.
While forecasters predicted the high winds would die down across much of Greece yesterday, they continued to warn of 'worrying' conditions on the tourist island of Kythira, which has around 3,600 inhabitants.
We have suffered great damage, which we still cannot calculate
Dozens of firefighters supported by three helicopters and two aircraft tackling the fire in Kythira, which erupted on Saturday morning and forced the evacuation of a popular beach.
In Evia, teams worked through the night to repair serious damage to the island's electricity network, while some villages faced issues with water supply.
Giorgos Kelaiditis, the deputy governor of the island, said the flames had ripped through a livestock unit, killing about 3,000 animals.
'It was an absolute disaster. We have suffered great damage, which we still cannot calculate,' he told APE-MPE.
Evacuation messages were sent to those living and staying on the island early yesterday.
Officials have reported 11 regions of Greece still face a very high fire risk.
It was reported that fires just south of Crete, which broke out on Saturday afternoon and destroyed four houses and a church, had been largely contained.
Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wrote on social media that anyone who lost possessions 'should know that the state will be by their side'.
He said Saturday was a 'titanic' struggle but 'the picture today looks better and the battle continues with all available resources'.
