Summer 2023 was one of the hottest on record – in July last year, certain destinations across Europe broke records for the warmest days ever recorded from Spain to Italy – causing health concerns and disruption to locals and tourists alike. In May 2024, Greece had the earliest heatwave it had, as temperatures exceeded 43 degrees Celsius. Those extreme temperatures resulted in wildfires spreading across the islands of Kos, Chios and Crete.
Wildfires started on Kos, one of Greece’s Dodecanese islands. Hundreds of British tourists and residents were forced to flee, taking shelter in a football stadium and other venues to escape the smoke. Similar fires have spread across Chios and Crete.
There are reports of wildfires raging through forests north of Athens since Saturday 10 August. A weekend of consistently high temperatures and strong winds had led to a continuous escalation of the situation. At the time of writing (Monday 12 August) the fires are still not under control.
The wildfires started causing considerable damage in the early hours of Monday 12 August, and, at the time of writing, are still being contained by emergency services. At the time of writing, the exact cause of the wildfires is unknown. However, gale-force winds of around 50km/h in some areas north of the Greek capital, plus several days of extreme temperatures approaching 40C, mean emergency services are working tirelessly to extinguish the blazes.
The Greek authorities have not yet announced a state of.