Greece battles major wildfires near Athens as evacuations continue west of the capital
Hundreds of firefighters and aircraft are battling a fast-moving wildfire west of Athens, with authorities working to protect the coastal area of Porto Germeno. The fire, which began on Friday near the village of Agios Vasileios, has spread into multiple fronts and prompted evacuations in nearby communities. About 300 people were moved by sea as strong winds pushed flames through the area, according to the supplied reports.
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Emergency alerts were issued for several parts of Greece on Saturday, with officials warning of extreme wildfire risk in Attica and Evia. The fire in Porto Germeno was reported to have split into three fronts, and local reporting said houses in the area caught fire, leading to evacuation orders for nearby towns including Agia Paraskevi, Kryo Pigadi and Agios Nektarios. A wildfire meteorologist at the National Observatory of Athens estimated that between 15 and 19 square miles, or 39 to 50 square kilometres, had been affected, although no official burned-area figure had been released.
The response has involved ground crews, water-dropping planes and helicopters, alongside emergency workers trying to contain the blaze before it spreads further inland. Porto Germeno is described in the supplied material as a popular resort on the Gulf of Corinth, making the fire a concern not only for residents but also for seasonal visitors and local infrastructure. The combination of gale-force winds and dry conditions has made containment difficult, and authorities have continued to issue warnings as the situation develops.
The fire comes amid a wider period of wildfire pressure across southern Europe, even as blazes in France and Spain were reported to be easing. In France, officials said fires in Var and Gironde were under control or stabilising after destructive damage, highlighting how conditions can vary sharply across the region. For Greece, the incident adds to the challenge of managing repeated summer fire emergencies in areas exposed to heat, wind and dry vegetation.
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Attica, which includes Athens and its surrounding districts, is one of the country's most densely populated regions, so any fast-moving fire there carries heightened risk. Evia, another area named in the alerts, has also faced severe wildfire threats in recent years, making the warning there significant for local authorities and residents. The current fire therefore has both immediate humanitarian implications and broader relevance for emergency planning in Greece.
What remains unclear is the full extent of the damage, including how many homes may have been affected and whether the fire has been brought under control. Authorities had not issued an official burned-area figure at the time of the report, and the situation was still evolving as crews worked on the ground and in the air. The next developments to watch are whether evacuation orders expand, whether winds ease, and whether officials provide a clearer assessment of the fire's spread and impact.
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