Salamina, Greece, 16 August (Brussles Morning Newspaper)Â Two people have died after Salamina wildfires swept into populated areas of the Greek island west of Athens on Sunday, sending residents and holidaymakers fleeing as strong winds pushed flames towards homes and beaches.
The fires broke out during the busy August holiday weekend, when Salamina’s beaches and coastal communities were crowded. Emergency crews launched evacuations as the situation deteriorated, while firefighting aircraft worked above the island and vessels moved into position along the coast.
The two victims were found in the Peristeria area. Greek authorities initially said they believed the dead were a couple. Several other people required medical treatment, while houses were damaged as the flames moved through residential areas.
Fire races towards homes as residents are told to leave
The speed of the fire presented an immediate challenge.
Greek Fire Brigadier General Vasileios Vathrakogiannis said conditions allowed one blaze to grow rapidly and move towards nearby homes within minutes. Near gale-force winds were affecting the island, which had already been placed under a high wildfire risk warning.
Reuters reported that 192 firefighters were deployed with 14 aircraft and helicopters, volunteers and municipal water tankers. Later figures reported by the Associated Press put the response at around 260 firefighters, supported by 10 aircraft and eight helicopters as reinforcements arrived.
Firefighting and coast guard vessels were also used around the coastline, giving authorities another route to move people away from threatened areas.
Evacuations begin during one of Greece’s busiest weekends
The timing made an already dangerous fire harder to manage.
Sunday fell immediately after the 15 August Assumption holiday, one of the biggest dates in the Greek summer calendar. Salamina is close to Athens and easily reached from Piraeus, making it a popular destination for people leaving the capital for the holiday period.
Authorities ordered people out of threatened communities, including Kolones and Saterli. Separate fires were also reported around Peristeria and Selinia, with hundreds of people ordered to evacuate as emergency services tried to keep the flames away from densely populated areas.
The combination of homes, narrow coastal areas and crowded beaches meant firefighters were dealing with two urgent tasks at once: containing the flames and getting people out safely.
Fire service warns of dangerous conditions
Deputy fire service spokesman Yiannis Artopios told Greek state broadcaster ERT that hundreds of bathers and permanent residents were in the affected area when evacuation orders were issued.
“It is a difficult fire… inside an inhabited area,” he said.
Police were deployed to direct people towards safer routes, while rescue vessels helped evacuate people from the coast.
The cause of the Salamina wildfires had not been established on Sunday, and authorities had announced no conclusion about how the fires started.
Greece faces another punishing summer of fire
The deaths on Salamina come only days after hundreds of people were evacuated by boat from Siviri in Halkidiki, northern Greece, when another wind-driven wildfire raced through woodland towards the coast.
More than 300 people were taken out by sea in that operation, while more than 140 firefighters and extensive aerial resources were deployed.
Greece’s latest fires are part of a broader emergency across Europe. Prolonged heat and drought have left vegetation exceptionally dry, with serious outbreaks also affecting France, Spain, Croatia, Germany and Belgium.
Why the Salamina fire matters
For island communities, the immediate concern is the loss of life and damage to homes. But the fires also highlight the growing strain placed on Greece’s emergency services during periods when extreme fire conditions coincide with peak tourist numbers.
The economic consequences extend beyond the communities directly affected. Michael Arghyrou, chief economic adviser to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said this month that wildfires and heatwaves were becoming a growing medium- and long-term fiscal risk for the country, particularly given Greece’s dependence on tourism.
Firefighters remain focused on containing the flames
The immediate priority is to prevent further loss of life, protect homes and bring the fires under control while strong winds continue to complicate operations.
Emergency crews are expected to remain in affected areas as the situation is assessed. The cause will also need to be established, but no official finding had been announced by Sunday.
For those forced from their homes and beaches, the focus remains more immediate: staying clear of threatened areas while firefighters work to stop the flames from spreading further across the island.
