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New York Times
a day ago
- New York Times
Housekeeper Arrested Over Wildfire That Scorched Greek Island
A 35-year-old housekeeper was arrested in Greece on Tuesday in connection with devastating wildfires that tore across the island of Chios this week, officials said. 'She'd been smoking,' Vassilis Vathrakoyiannis, the spokesman of the Hellenic Fire Service said of the housekeeper, who he said was a Georgian woman. Five blazes, the first of which broke out on Sunday, collectively consumed more than 11,000 acres of the island. A news release from the fire service said a foreign woman had been arrested on the north of the island, near where the last of the fires sprang up on Monday. The blazes razed huge swaths of the island's forestland, forcing the evacuation of more than a dozen villages. Firefighters from across the country were rushed to the island on planes and ferries to battle the blaze; more than 400 were eventually deployed. As Greece approaches its summer wildfire season, the Chios fire was a reminder of a grim reality for the nation, where furious wildfires have become a regular part of life, especially as climate change has made the country hotter and drier. Chios is one of the largest islands in the Aegean Sea, known for resin-producing mastic trees which hardly grow anywhere else in the world. Used for things like pharmaceuticals, beauty products and liquor, the trees are a critical driver for the local economy, and a draw for tourists. While not as popular as some other Greek islands, Chios sees an influx of visitors during the summer months, also the height of wildfire season. The trees have been periodically threatened by wildfires on the island, including in 2012, when a wildfire destroyed more than half of the island's mastic tree population, causing a global shortage of the valuable resin. The fires this week damaged some of the island's trees, according to local media, but did not burn the southern part of the island, where the majority of the mastic trees grow. Three of the blazes started on Sunday; another two began on Monday amid sweltering, windy conditions. Firefighters had contained most of the fires by Thursday, as winds calmed. Soon after the fires began spreading on Sunday, fire officials deployed investigators from the fire service's Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes. The scope of the fires, and their presence in multiple, unconnected areas of the island, suggested to officials that they did not begin naturally. 'We will not hide behind words: When fires break out simultaneously in such scattered locations, we must speak of suspicious activity,' said Giannis Kefalogiannis, the country's Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, in a Greek-language statement on Monday. Niki Kitsantonis and Matina Stevis-Gridneff contributed reporting.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Climate
- New York Times
Villages Evacuated on Greek Island as Wildfires Rage
Hundreds of firefighters in Greece are battling a series of wildfires on the island of Chios, where officials declared an emergency and more than a dozen communities were evacuated. Three blazes broke out on Chios on Sunday, in the areas of Kofina, Agia Anna and Agios Makarios Vrontadon, the country's Hellenic Fire Service said in a statement. Two more followed, leaving five fires burning as of Monday evening. More than 400 firefighters have been deployed to the island, sent by planes and boats. Thirteen helicopters and four firefighting planes were also deployed. Chios is one of the largest islands in the Aegean Sea, known for its resin-producing mastic trees. While not as popular with tourists as some other Greek islands, it sees an influx of visitors during the summer months, also the height of wildfire season. 'The situation on the island since yesterday has been quite difficult because we constantly have new fronts and resurgences and the climatic conditions are not favorable,' said Giannis Kefalogiannis, the country's Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, in a Greek-language statement on Monday. Fire brigades faced multiple blazes in unconnected areas of the island, the fire service said, raising suspicion that the fires may be a product of arson. Officials have dispatched increased police and military patrols. 'We will not hide behind words: When fires break out simultaneously in such scattered locations, we must speak of suspicious activity,' Mr. Kefalogiannis said in a Greek-language statement later Monday evening. 'And if it is verified that these are coordinated arson actions, then we are dealing with a dangerous, criminal attack on society, the environment and life.' Wildfires have long been a part of life in Greece, with its hot and dry climate. But local authorities say they have seen an uptick in the both the number and intensity of the blazes in recent years, which many experts attribute to climate change. The authorities in Greece deployed a record number of firefighters this year in anticipation of worsening fire seasons, Mr. Kefalogiannis said in April. In recent years, the country has increased its fire patrols, used thermal imaging drones and earmarked more than 2 billion euros for new fire detection technology in an effort to manage the worsening fire seasons. Extreme heat and high winds over the weekend turned much of Chios into a tinderbox, where fires spread quickly and were difficult to contain, officials told local media. Additional firefighters have been brought to the island by boat, or flown in to help fortify the crews battling the fires, the Greek fire service said. Officials from the Directorate to Investigate Arson Crimes arrived to the island to investigate the cause of the blaze, the Hellenic Fire Service said. The first three fires broke out at one-hour intervals, with a fourth and a fifth starting early Monday.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Climate
- New York Times
Villages Evacuated on Greek Tourist Island as Wildfires Rage
Firefighters in Greece are battling a series of wildfires on the popular island destination of Chios, where officials declared an emergency and a dozen communities were evacuated over the weekend, according to state media. Three blazes broke out on Chios on Sunday, in the areas of Kofina, Agia Anna and Agios Makarios Vrontadon, the country's Hellenic Fire Service said in a Greek-language statement. It deployed 190 firefighters to battle the fire, and another 170 were expected on the island on Monday. Thirteen helicopters and four firefighting planes were also deployed. Chios is one of the largest islands in the Aegean Sea, where throngs of tourists flock during the summer months, also the height of wildfire season. 'The situation on the island since yesterday has been quite difficult because we constantly have new fronts and resurgences and the climatic conditions are not favorable,' said Giannis Kefalogiannis, the country's Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, in a Greek-language statement on Monday. Wildfires have long been a part of life in Greece, with its hot and dry climate. But local authorities say they have seen an uptick in the both the number and intensity of the blazes in recent years, which many experts attribute to climate change. The authorities in Greece deployed a record number of firefighters this year in anticipation of worsening fire seasons, Mr. Kefalogiannis said in April. In recent years, the country has increased its fire patrols, used thermal imaging drones and earmarked more than 2 billion euros for new fire detection technology in an effort to manage the worsening fire seasons. Extreme heat and high winds over the weekend turned much of Chios into a tinderbox, where fires spread quickly and were difficult to contain, officials told local media. Additional firefighters have been brought to the island by boat, or flown in to help fortify the crews battling the fires, the Greek fire service said. Officials from the Directorate to Investigate Arson Crimes are traveling to the island to investigate the cause of the blaze, the Hellenic Fire Service said. The three separate fires broke out at one-hour intervals.
The Star
24-04-2025
- Climate
- The Star
Greece steps up preparedness ahead of 2025 fire season
ATHENS, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Thursday a 45-day extension to the deadline for clearing overgrown vegetation on private properties, as part of the country's efforts to better prepare for what is expected to be another challenging wildfire season. Mitsotakis underscored the need for public cooperation in clearing plots of land, calling it a critical line of defense that had proven effective in protecting homes and aiding firefighting efforts last year, when the country experienced devastating fires. Mitsotakis also said, "There are more firefighters on the ground, and the number of trained volunteers continues to grow." The Civil Protection and Climate Crisis Ministry has confirmed that this year's fire season will begin on May 1 as usual. Enhanced interagency coordination and investment in early warning systems are central to the 2025 fire response plan. According to the Hellenic Fire Service, over 8,000 wildfires occurred during the 2024 fire season, in which seven people were killed, including two firefighters, 210 homes were destroyed and over 150,000 hectares were scorched, with total damages exceeding 1.2 billion euros (1.37 billion U.S. dollars), a 35 percent increase from 2023.
