Skip linksSkip to Content
play
Live
Navigation menu
  • News
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • US & Canada
    • Latin America
    • Europe
    • Asia Pacific
  • Middle East
  • Explained
  • Opinion
  • Sport
  • Video
    • Features
    • Economy
    • Human Rights
    • Climate Crisis
    • Investigations
    • Interactives
    • In Pictures
    • Science & Technology
    • Podcasts
play
Live

In Pictures

Gallery|Climate

Photos: Greece wildfires force thousands to flee seaside resorts

Most of southern Greece, including greater Athens, is at an elevated level of alert for fire risk, with more extreme temperatures expected later this week.

Greece wildfires force thousands to flee seaside resorts
A damaged car stands in front of a burned tree near Loutraki, 80km west of Athens. [Petros Giannakouris/AP Photo]
Published On 18 Jul 202318 Jul 2023
facebooktwitterwhatsappcopylink

Wildfires outside Athens have forced thousands to flee seaside resorts, closed highways and gutted vacation homes, as high winds pushed flames through hillside scrub and pine forests parched by days of extreme heat.

Authorities issued evacuation orders for at least six seaside communities as two major wildfires edged closer to summer resort towns and gusts of wind hit 70km/h (45mph).

The army, police special forces and volunteer rescuers freed retirees from their homes, rescued horses from a stable, and helped monks flee a monastery threatened by the flames.

Before nightfall, water-dropping planes and helicopters tackled the flames near Lagonisi, some 40km (25 miles) southeast of the capital. The second large wildfire broke out in a wooded area near the resort town of Loutraki, some 90km (55 miles) west of Athens, where a children’s summer camp and rehabilitation centre for seniors were evacuated, local officials said.

Fire Service spokesman Yiannis Artopios said the strong and changeable winds and mountainous terrain in which both fires broke out were slowing the firefighting effort.

Advertisement

“The conditions are changing constantly and this has to be matched by our response. We have ordered multiple evacuations,” he said. The evacuees gathered along the coastline or were put up in schools and hotels, while coastguard vessels were dispatched to smoke-heavy beachfronts to assist if needed.

On a visit to Brussels, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the risk posed by wildfires this month as “extremely difficult” to deal with.

“We have always had wildfires and we always will have them. But with the effects of the climate crisis, we are experiencing fires with increasing intensity,” Mitsotakis said, speaking on the margins of talks between leaders from the European Union and Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Greater Athens and much of southern Greece were on the second highest level of alert for wildfires Monday and Tuesday following a four-day heatwave that eased over the weekend. More heat wave temperatures are expected later in the week.

Greece wildfires force thousands to flee seaside resorts
Fire burns trees on a mountain near Agioi Theodoroi about 60km west of Athens. [Petros Giannakouris/AP Photo]
Advertisement
Greece wildfires force thousands to flee seaside resorts
A woman gives water to her horse as her husband on a tractor tries to extinguish a fire with a hose near Loutraki. [Petros Giannakouris/AP Photo]
Greece wildfires force thousands to flee seaside resorts
A firefighting helicopter dumps water as fire approach houses in Kalamaki near Agioi Theodoroi. [Petros Giannakouris/AP Photo]
Greece wildfires force thousands to flee seaside resorts
Greater Athens and much of southern Greece were on the second highest alert for wildfires on Monday and Tuesday following a four-day heatwave that eased over the weekend. More heatwave temperatures are expected later in the week. [Petros Giannakouris/AP Photo]
Greece wildfires force thousands to flee seaside resorts
Two wildfires threatened homes in areas outside Athens, where winds of up to 70km/h made the flames difficult to contain. [Petros Giannakouris/AP Photo]
Wildfires outside Athens forced thousands to flee seaside resorts
A house is ablaze near Loutraki, 80km west of Athens. [Petros Giannakouris/AP Photo]
Advertisement
Greece wildfires force thousands to flee seaside resorts
Residents and visitors in areas affected by the two fires received mobile phone alerts from the Civil Protection Ministry. [Petros Giannakouris/AP Photo]
Greece wildfires force thousands to flee seaside resorts
Loutraki Mayor Giorgos Gionis said municipal workers were also assisting seniors in the evacuations, adding that the operation had been impeded by mobile phone reception outages. [Petros Giannakouris/AP Photo]
Greece wildfires force thousands to flee seaside resorts
Local officials confirmed that homes had been destroyed or badly damaged in both fires. [Petros Giannakouris/AP Photo]
Greece wildfires force thousands to flee seaside resorts
A tree burns in front of a damaged home near Loutraki, 80km west of Athens. [Petros Giannakouris/AP Photo]
Greece wildfires force thousands to flee seaside resorts
Fire burns in a forest in Dervenohoria, northwest of Athens, early on Tuesday. [Petros Giannakouris/AP Photo]


    • About Us
    • Code of Ethics
    • Terms and Conditions
    • EU/EEA Regulatory Notice
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Cookie Preferences
    • Sitemap
    • Work for us
    • Contact Us
    • User Accounts Help
    • Advertise with us
    • Stay Connected
    • Newsletters
    • Channel Finder
    • TV Schedule
    • Podcasts
    • Submit a Tip
    • Al Jazeera Arabic
    • Al Jazeera English
    • Al Jazeera Investigative Unit
    • Al Jazeera Mubasher
    • Al Jazeera Documentary
    • Al Jazeera Balkans
    • AJ+
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Studies
    • Al Jazeera Media Institute
    • Learn Arabic
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights
    • Al Jazeera Forum
    • Al Jazeera Hotel Partners

Follow Al Jazeera English:

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • instagram-colored-outline
  • rss
Al Jazeera Media Network logo
© 2025 Al Jazeera Media Network