By Paula Tsoni
July 26, 2025
Wildfires are raging across Greece on Saturday amidst a prolonged heatwave.
Fire broke out in several fronts in Messinia, southern Greece, Evritania, central Greece, the islands of Evia and Kythera, in Central and southern Greece respectively, and Kastoria in northern Greece.
Areas of Kythera and Messinia were evacuated in the early afternoon hours as wildfires approached vilages. The 112 emergency alert warning was also activated in Evia, were the area of Pissonas suffered serious damages and the village remained under high risk.
More fires erupted in the afternoon Kozani and Thessaloniki in the north, Oropos and Mount Parnitha in central Greece. Dozens of firefighters are operating at each front.
Evia wildfire raging out of control
Among several wildfires across Greece on Saturday, the largest one was raging out of control in Pissonas, Evia, where four firefighters were reported slightly injured and two fire engines were destroyed in the blaze.
Firefighting and police forces are making huge efforts to contain the fire front before it crosses the Artaki-Kymi provincial road.
The 112 emergency alert warning earlier called for residents in Pissonas to evacuate immediately and head towards Afrati for their safety.
The situation was critical, as eyewitnesses reported to AMNA that if the flames breach the provincial road, there is considerable risk that the fire will advance toward Pissonas village. The blaze has already reached poultry and pig farms, which were engulfed in flames, causing significant damage to infrastructure and livestock.
All available ground forces are operating in the area, while one helicopter and two firefighting aircraft are engaged in aerial operations, battling both time and strong winds that are hindering the firefighting effort.
Sixty firefighters, two ground teams, eighteen fire engines, volunteers, as well as water trucks and heavy equipment from local authorities are attending, with focus on critical points to stop the fire from spreading further.
Conditions remain extremely difficult though, as the fire is burning through dense vegetation, and shifting winds are constantly changing direction, thus threatening new areas and complicating strategic planning by the Fire Brigade.
Areas of Greece in high risk of wildfires
A Fire Risk Forecast Map issued on Saturday by the General Secretariat for Civil Protection highlighted areas in extreme or very high risk of fire as Greece continued to be faced with high temperatures this week.
The latest heatwave prevailed on Friday in many parts of the country, with temperatures exceeding 42°C (107°F) in many areas and reaching 44-45°C (113°F) locally.
The network of automatic weather stations of the National Observatory of Athens observed the highest temperatures in Greece during the current heatwave in Epirus, Western Greece, Thessaly, the Peloponnese, southern Crete, and Macedonia. The maximum temperature was recorded in Skala, Messinia and was 45.8°C (114°F).
Very high temperatures were recorded across a wide geographical area, the report notes, and it is estimated that an astonishing 85 percent of Greece’s population experienced maximum temperatures above 39°C (102°F).
In the prefecture of Attica and the city of Athens, in specific, the temperature exceeded 40°C (104°F) in most areas, prompting authorities to close the Acropolis and surrounding ancient monuments to the public during the peak hours of the heatwave between noon and 5 pm Greek time between July 25-27.
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