Greece battles fierce wildfires as blazes in France begin to subside

Strong winds have fanned flames across several regions of Greece, intensifying a fresh wave of wildfire crises in Europe, even as major fires in France and Spain showed signs of abating, with no further spread or effective containment.

In Greece, hundreds of firefighters, along with water-dropping planes and helicopters, were mobilized to protect Porto Germeno, a popular resort on the Gulf of Corinth, as strong winds drove flames through the coastal area west of Athens on Saturday. The fire broke out Friday near the neighboring village of Agios Vasileios. Around 300 people were evacuated by sea, and authorities continued to issue additional evacuation orders for the area.

Greek officials issued emergency alerts for several regions on Saturday and warned of extremely high wildfire risk in Attica and Evia. The newspaper Protothema reported that the fire at Porto Germeno had split into three fronts and that several homes had caught fire, prompting authorities to order evacuations for nearby towns, including Agia Paraskevi, Kryo Pigadi, and Agios Nektarios. According to Theodore Giannaros, a wildfire meteorologist at the National Observatory of Athens, the affected area is estimated at 39 to 50 square kilometers, though official figures have not yet been released.

Situation in France

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu declared that the wildfires that had been raging in the country were “under control” on Saturday, more than a week after the largest blaze since 1949. In an interview with La Tribune Dimanche, he emphasized that the situation in Gironde had returned to a more stable state. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez also confirmed that the fires in Gironde were contained, while 1,500 firefighters continued their containment efforts in the southeastern region of Var, where a fire had scorched an additional 1,500 hectares. Defensive lines around the Gros Bessillon fire in Var held through the night, with no further area burned.

Spain and Portugal

In Portugal, a large wildfire has been declared contained. Spain also reported that its largest fires were no longer spreading continuously and that most evacuation orders had been lifted. However, the situation in Leon remained complex, with flames continuing to spread overnight.

Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world, with temperatures rising at more than twice the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus climate agency. Rising temperatures and prolonged drought have dried out vegetation, making it more flammable and enabling faster, more intense wildfire spread.