Wildfires burn 70,000 hectares across Greece’s Attica region in 9 years

Wildfires have burned around 70,000 hectares (173,000 acres) across Greece’s Attica region over the past nine years, according to data from the National Observatory of Athens, local media reported Tuesday.

The latest fire in western Attica has scorched an estimated 14,000 hectares (nearly 34,600 acres), though further analysis is needed to determine the final extent of the damage, Greek public broadcaster ERT reported.

Haris Kontoes, research director of the observatory’s BEYOND unit, said satellite monitoring systems, which provide updates every five minutes, had detected repeated flare-ups and the emergence of new fire fronts.

The blaze has expanded into areas previously affected by major wildfires, including land burned in 2009 and 2021.

Maps produced by the unit showed that much of the current burn scar overlaps with the footprint of the 2009 fire, Kontoes said.

After moving eastward through the Porto Germeno area, the blaze encountered land burned in 2021, where less combustible vegetation remained.

“Where it had burned in 2021, there was no longer the same fuel. So, the fire is looking for whatever living forest there is,” he said.

Kontoes warned that the large number of homes built within or near forested areas significantly increases the danger to residents.

“The coastal settlements are built in the forests,” he said, describing western Attica as an example of a broader problem affecting the region.

He said the growing frequency and intensity of wildfires amid the climate crisis required changes in urban planning and household protection.

Older buildings without adequate fire protection, uncleared plots, and narrow roads that hinder access for firefighting vehicles remain persistent risks, he added.

“We have entered a new era, the era of the climate crisis, which unfortunately we are not taking into account as much as we should,” Kontoes said.