Wildfires in Europe are sweeping across some of the continent’s best-loved destinations – causing destruction and health risks. Below, we look at which countries and areas have been most affected and what this means for those who have already booked to travel to Europe. At the time of writing (Monday 12 August, 4pm BST), there are wildfires raging through the outskirts of Athens, Greece.
Houses and businesses in the town of Varnavaswere, north of the Greek capital, were evacuated on the evening of Sunday 11 August. Since then, as flames reportedly reach heights of over 20 metres, the fires have caused considerable damage to property and land. Recent, consistent temperatures between 35 degrees Celsius and 40 degrees Celsius have dried out the land.
High temperatures, dry weather and, in recent days, strong winds, are causing the Athens wildfires to spread at speed. In 2023, fires blazed in Croatia, Portugal, Greece, Spain, Italy and Algeria, among other countries. Thousands of people, including holidaymakers, were evacuated across these countries, and airlines put on repatriation flights to some of the destinations most affected, including the Greek islands.
The three factors that impact the spread of fires are high temperatures, drought and high wind. Much of Mediterranean Europe is already experiencing very early heatwaves this summer, and while many factors can be the final spark that ignites a wildfire (campfires, lightning, etc), hot temperatures are key. Currently, the FDCO does not advise against travel to Athens or other areas recently impacted by wildfires, but the official government advice for travellers whose visits are affected by wildfires is as follows: "Be cautious if you are in or near an area affected by wildfires: For the latest information, see gov.
uk/foreign-travel-advice/greece/safety-and-security . It depends. Last year, some flights and package holidays to destinations that were severely affected by the wildfires were cancelled by tour operators; flights and holidays to Rhodes, for example, were cancelled by companies such as Tui throughout the month of July.
If your tour operator cancels your holiday or flight because of wildfires, you’ll be offered the chance to rebook or a refund. However, flights and holidays to destinations which are not severely affected are likely to run as normal, and unless the FCDO have issued ‘do not travel’ advisories, insurance is unlikely to cover you if you choose to cancel your trip as it’s not deemed a necessity..
