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Toronto Sun
14 hours ago
- Climate
- Toronto Sun
Greece, Spain and Portugal race to contain wildfires as EU steps up cross-border help
Published Aug 14, 2025 • 2 minute read Firefighters work to extinguish a wildfire near the city of Patras, western Greece on August 13, 2025. Greece on August 13, 2025 battled to contain more than 20 wildfires including one menacing its third-largest city Patras as a heatwave stoked blazes and forced the evacuation of thousands in southern Europe. Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP via Getty Images ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Fire crews in Greece, Spain and Portugal raced to contain wildfires on Thursday, taking advantage of calmer winds that slowed the blazes even as much of southern Europe remained at high risk under hot, dry conditions. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account A drop in wind speeds allowed firefighting aircraft in the three hard-hit countries to step up water drops, concentrating on existing fire zones rather than chasing fast-moving fronts. Authorities warned that extreme temperatures are likely to persist. Spanish authorities reported the death of a 37-year-old volunteer firefighter who sustained severe burns in an area north of Madrid this week. It was the third reported death in Spain due to the recent fires. Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in the region and still can not return. In Greece, the Fire Service said a major blaze outside the southern port city of Patras has been contained on the outskirts of urban areas after a large-scale deployment. Three people have been arrested in connection with the fire, which authorities said may have been deliberately set. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. High winds in Greece shifted to different parts of the country on Thursday. Ioannis Kefalogiannis, the civil protection minister, said authorities were bracing for the likelihood of a new round of major fires. 'Under such conditions, even a single spark is enough to trigger an uncontrollable fire,' he told reporters. 'This combination of weather and geographical factors leaves us no room for complacency.' The European Union's civil protection agency said it responded to requests for assistance this week from Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania, sending firefighting planes and helicopters from other member states. The agency said it had already activated assistance 16 times amid this summer's wildfires as European countries have been hit by a 'high number of catastrophic wildfires.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The number of activations for 2025 already matches the total for wildfires during the entire 2024 fire season, it said. In Albania, wildfires in central and southern parts of the country were contained after gutting more than 200 homes. Prime Minister Edi Rama promised that police would work 'day and night' to apprehend suspected arsonists blamed by the government for causing some of the fires. Across the Mediterranean Sea, Morocco battled its largest wildfire of the year this week near Bab Taza, in the north of the country, which burned dense forest, fueled by strong winds and high temperatures. Authorities said water-dropping aircraft and more than 450 personnel successfully contained the blaze. A second wildfire near Tetouan, further north, was also brought under control. ___ Naishadham reported from Madrid. Associated Press writers Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania; Lorne Cook in Brussels; John Leicester in Paris and Akram Oubachir in Casablanca, Morocco, contributed to this report. Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls Toronto & GTA World Columnists
Toronto Sun
6 days ago
- General
- Toronto Sun
Greeks count cost of wildfire 'tragedy' near Athens
Published Aug 09, 2025 • 2 minute read The fire erupted in the rural region of Keratea, some 43 kilometres (27 miles) southeast of Athens Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP Palaia Fokaia (Greece) (AFP) — In the municipality of Palaia Fokaia, an hour's drive south of Athens, a typical bucolic Greek landscape of olive groves and hamlets was transformed by a raging Friday wildfire into a dystopia of blackened land and incinerated homes. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account A howling wind ripped through the settlement on Saturday, spread dust and the bitter smell of ash coming from the surrounding hills, where fires and smouldering embers continued to burn. The ground shuddered as low-flying helicopters and water bombers weaved through the steep terrain to release water onto the remaining blazes and retrieve sea water. Hours earlier, over 200 firefighters had battled to keep the fire that erupted in the rural region of Keratea, some 43 kilometres (27 miles) southeast of Athens, from threatening the coastal resorts dotting the coast of Attica. At one gutted home — its caved-in roof nothing more than a tangle of warped metal — mask-wearing residents returned to retrieve whatever belongings survived the inferno. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A despondent woman named Dimitria was more fortunate: the flames spared her home but razed the nearest forest, leaving it a desolate terrain of roasted trees and ash. Over 200 firefighters had battled to keep the fire from threatening the coastal resorts dotting the coast of AtticaAris MESSINIS/AFP Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP 'From yesterday night, there were very few reinforcements from the fire brigade,' she lamented, describing how help arrived after the advancing fire threatened 'many houses' near the forest. 'My house is OK, but my forest is burned. And that is the pity,' she said with a trembling voice, her eyes welling up as she left to survey the damage. Firefighters with hoses combed through a copse of trees to douse any embers and prevent reactivations, scorched twigs and debris crunching under their boots. – 'We knew it was dangerous' – Observing them from his unscathed house was a relieved Kostas Triadis. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Despite the damage dealt to the landscape, he hailed the work of firemen and volunteers, 'otherwise it would be very bad.' 'It is regenerated by itself, I hope it will be the natural future,' the 75-year-old added, referring to the devastated vegetation. 'It is a very good, small forest, we always knew it was dangerous.' His wife Eleni, 71, added that 'everybody did their utmost to save the area, but the real tragedy is that the forest is lost. It was very old.' Beachside diners were greeted with the spectacle of water bombers skimming the water to refill and return to the raging firesAris MESSINIS/AFP Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP But she pointed to the many trees that were relatively unharmed because the fire burned itself out quickly in the short grass that residents had cut in June. 'It's a tragedy, it's the first time the fire has come here,' she said of the area, where the couple spend the summer months away from their Athens residence. A short distance away on the coast, the contrast could not be starker: beachgoers ambled on the sand and swam in the shimmering Mediterranean on a seemingly normal balmy summer morning. But the signs of the emergency were unmistakeable as beachside diners were greeted with the spectacle of water bombers skimming the water to refill and return to the raging fires. Toronto Blue Jays Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls Editorials Toronto & GTA
eNCA
6 days ago
- Climate
- eNCA
Greeks count cost of wildfire 'tragedy' near Athens
In the municipality of Palaia Fokaia, an hour's drive south of Athens, a typical bucolic Greek landscape of olive groves and hamlets was transformed by a raging Friday wildfire into a dystopia of blackened land and incinerated homes. A howling wind ripped through the settlement on Saturday, spread dust and the bitter smell of ash coming from the surrounding hills, where fires and smouldering embers continued to burn. The ground shuddered as low-flying helicopters and water bombers weaved through the steep terrain to release water onto the remaining blazes and retrieve sea water. Hours earlier, over 200 firefighters had battled to keep the fire that erupted in the rural region of Keratea, some 43 kilometres southeast of Athens, from threatening the coastal resorts dotting the coast of Attica. At one gutted home -- its caved-in roof nothing more than a tangle of warped metal -- mask-wearing residents returned to retrieve whatever belongings survived the inferno. A despondent woman named Dimitria was more fortunate: the flames spared her home but razed the nearest forest, leaving it a desolate terrain of roasted trees and ash. AFP | Aris MESSINIS "From yesterday night, there were very few reinforcements from the fire brigade," she lamented, describing how help arrived after the advancing fire threatened "many houses" near the forest. "My house is OK, but my forest is burned. And that is the pity," she said with a trembling voice, her eyes welling up as she left to survey the damage. Firefighters with hoses combed through a copse of trees to douse any embers and prevent reactivations, scorched twigs and debris crunching under their boots. - 'We knew it was dangerous' - Observing them from his unscathed house was a relieved Kostas Triadis. Despite the damage dealt to the landscape, he hailed the work of firemen and volunteers, "otherwise it would be very bad." "It is regenerated by itself, I hope it will be the natural future," the 75-year-old added, referring to the devastated vegetation. "It is a very good, small forest, we always knew it was dangerous." His wife Eleni, 71, added that "everybody did their utmost to save the area, but the real tragedy is that the forest is lost. It was very old." AFP | Aris MESSINIS But she pointed to the many trees that were relatively unharmed because the fire burned itself out quickly in the short grass that residents had cut in June. "It's a tragedy, it's the first time the fire has come here," she said of the area, where the couple spend the summer months away from their Athens residence. A short distance away on the coast, the contrast could not be starker: beachgoers ambled on the sand and swam in the shimmering Mediterranean on a seemingly normal balmy summer morning. But the signs of the emergency were unmistakeable as beachside diners were greeted with the spectacle of water bombers skimming the water to refill and return to the raging fires. By Imran Marashli
Toronto Sun
7 days ago
- Toronto Sun
Two tourists die at sea in Greece amid gale-force winds
Published Aug 08, 2025 • Last updated 10 minutes ago • 1 minute read The coast guard said most ferries were unable to depart on schedule from Piraeus and other Athens ports. Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP ATHENS — Two Vietnamese tourists died at sea in Greece Friday, the coastguard said, as gale-force winds confined many ferries to port, disrupting travel for tens of thousands of summer travellers. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The incident, involving a man and a woman, happened at Sarakiniko beach on the tourist island of Milos in the Cyclades, a coastguard spokeswoman told AFP. 'The man and woman were found unconscious in the sea and were taken to the local health centre,' she said. 'They were Vietnamese tourists on a cruise ship group. The woman fell in the water and the man apparently tried to save her,' she said. The civil protection ministry said wind gusts would reach 88 kilometres an hour, especially in the southern Aegean and Sea of Crete. National weather service EMY said the phenomenon would weaken after midnight. The coastguard said most ferries were unable to depart on schedule from Piraeus and other Athens ports, especially to the Cyclades or Dodecanese islands. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Several planned ferries were cancelled while others were postponed. Maritime connections with the Saronic islands near Athens including Aegina, Hydra, Poros, and Spetses and the Ionian Sea are unaffected, it said. The Athens National Observatory in a statement also warned there was a 'very high potential for wind-driven forest fires,' particularly in the east and south of the country. The mayor of Athens on Thursday shut down the National Garden after a tree fell in one of the capital's busiest high streets, narrowly missing shoppers. Strong winds are common in Greece at this time of year.
