BonWelfare

A huge wildfire broke out in Rafina, a coastal town east of Athens, forcing for evacuations, road closures and flight delays at the capital’s international airport. At the same time, Crete is also tormented by a major wildfire near Ierapetra, in Lasithi region, with hundreds of residents and tourists evacuated from the area.

HDN Newsroom

Wildifire in Rafina

The fire started around 3:02 p.m. (local time), on Wednesday afternoon, in the broader area of Agia Kyriaki Hill, at the intersection of Marathonos Avenue and Arionos Street, near the residential district of Pikermi. It has since grown significantly and is now burning in a mixed zone of homes, trees, and vineyards. The Fire Service has described the blaze as “difficult and dangerous.”

The fire has spread uncontrollably toward the nearby town of Spata, driven by strong winds. Some homes have reportedly been evacuated forcefully, and while official confirmation is pending, authorities have not ruled out the possibility of structural damage.

Firefighting efforts have been reinforced significantly. As of late Wednesday afternoon, 150 firefighters, seven ground teams, 36 vehicles, four aircraft and six helicopters were battling the blaze. Helicopters are refueling off the coast at the port of Rafina.

Authorities issued an emergency 112 alert at 3.31 p.m., urging residents in Agia Kyriaki, Etos Steko, Imeros Pefkos and Vounopoli to evacuate toward the Artemida sports stadium.

Marathonos Avenue remains closed in both directions: toward Athens from the junction with Alexandrou Fleming Street, and toward Marathon from Agiou Dimitriou Street. Police have asked drivers to avoid the wider Pikermi area and follow detour instructions. A local municipal official also appealed for roads to be kept clear to facilitate emergency access.

Thick smoke from the fire has disrupted operations at Athens International Airport. with some flight delays reported, according to public broadcaster ERT.

The fire continues to burn amid high winds and dry conditions, which have elevated wildfire risks across the region.

Hundreds of residents and tourists evacuated as wildfire rages in Lasithi, Crete
A major wildfire that broke out on Tuesday near Ierapetra in Crete’s Lasithi region continued to defy firefighting efforts on Thursday morning and prompted the evacuation of hundreds of residents and tourists.

The blaze, which started in the mountains between the villages of Ferma, Achlia and Agia Fotia, has split into three main fronts, driven by gale-force winds. The active fronts are currently centred near Ferma, Achlia and Schinokapsala, according to the Fire Service.

Emergency alerts were issued via the 112 system and authorities evacuated hundreds of residents and tourists from affected communities, including Agia Fotia, Galini and Koutsounari. Tourists holidaying in these areas were relocated to hotels in unaffected parts of the region, while others spent the night at a local indoor sports facility in Ierapetra.

“It’s a very difficult situation. The fire is very hard to contain. Right now, they cannot contain it,” Nektarios Papadakis, a civil protection official at the regional authority, told the Associated Press. “The tourists who were moved out are all okay,” he said.

Emergency services reported that several people were transported to hospital with respiratory issues.

Ground and airborne firefighting units are engaged in a large-scale effort to contain the blaze, as reinforcements were arriving from Athens. Despite the increase in personnel and equipment on the ground, however, efforts are being hampered by strong winds and the region’s rugged terrain. Local authorities, volunteers and municipal crews have joined the operation using water tankers, bulldozers and earth-moving machinery.

“Winds are still very strong and the fire is intense,” the deputy governor of Lasithi, Yiannis Androulakis, told broadcaster ERT on Thursday morning. “Overnight, with aerial support grounded, all our efforts were focused on saving as many homes as possible.”

Androulakis said it was too early to assess how many homes may have been lost but added that coordination with local agencies and the fire service is ongoing to determine the full extent of the damage.

The region also suffered widespread power and communication outages. “We had no electricity throughout the night,” Androulakis said. “In most areas, we didn’t even have a mobile signal.”