A significant wildfire is raging on the Greek Aegean island of Paros, forcing the evacuation of nine villages and prompting residents to seek safety on beaches. Emergency crews have been battling the blaze continuously since Tuesday afternoon, with high winds hindering efforts to contain the flames.
The fire, which has been burning through the island overnight, has split into two advancing fronts, reportedly heading towards Faragas Beach and Tripiti. The village of Agkairia has been particularly affected. Firefighting efforts involve 86 firefighters, specialized units from Athens, five helicopters, and two water-bombing planes, with reinforcements arriving from the mainland.
Deputy Mayor Haris Giourtzidis stated that the full extent of the damage is not yet clear, but two barns have been confirmed burned. He noted that strong, constant winds are making the firefighters' task more difficult. In some instances, emergency services had to forcibly remove residents from their homes when they refused to leave their animals behind.
Residents in Trypiti, Glyfa, Pyrgaki, and Aspro Chorio were ordered to evacuate towards Dryos early Wednesday morning. Earlier evacuations directed people from Ageria towards Aliki beach, following earlier clearances in Agios Charalambos, Kambi, Bougados, Aneratza, and Kamari on Tuesday afternoon.
Conditions on the island are expected to worsen as it enters a category 3 high forest fire risk designation. Local authorities are maintaining a state of high alert. A spokesperson for the Fire Department emphasized that the battle to contain the fire continues.
The situation on Paros is unfolding as Europe grapples with severe wildfires across multiple popular holiday destinations, driven by extreme temperatures reaching up to 47 degrees Celsius. In France, approximately 4,000 holidaymakers were evacuated from a beach resort near Bordeaux, where firefighters are battling the nation's largest wildfire since 1949. This blaze has forced over 220,000 people to flee and destroyed 240 homes.
Spain has also seen widespread fires, with tens of thousands evacuated. While some evacuation orders were lifted on Tuesday, conditions are anticipated to worsen with a fresh heatwave hitting Western Europe this week. French and Spanish leaders have highlighted these events as stark evidence of the climate emergency.
Across the continent, scientists attribute the extreme conditions to human-caused climate change, which has dried out vegetation and created tinderbox conditions. The EU's crisis management chief warned that other regions, including Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, could also face worsening fire conditions as the heatwave intensifies.