Europe

Massive fire near Athens. Three localities evacuated

Wind gusts of up to 80 km/h constantly create patches and new outbreaks, making the work of the fire brigade difficult

3 July 2025Aggiornato alle ore 17:35

Fiamme accanto alle case per un incendio nella città di Rafina, a poca distanza da Atene. Thanasis Dimopoulos/Eurokinissi via REUTERS

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Dramatic situation in Spain

3' min read

Caldo e roghi, in Spagna almeno due morti: la colonna di fumo e cenere ha raggiunto i 14mila metri di altitudine

A large fire broke out near Rafina, a small port town east of Athens. Strong winds are fuelling it, authorities reported. Images released by the Greek media show dense clouds of smoke in the skies above eastern Athens, visible from the centre of the Greek capital. The police confirmed that three localities had been evacuated. Fire-fighting helicopters and hundreds of fire brigades have been mobilised to extinguish the flames, and volunteers are also intervening. A ferry with passengers and cars on board was supposed to arrive at the port of Rafina, but returned to Euboea, the Greek Coast Guard reported. Two other vessels had to dock at a port further south.

Fire brigade from Athens in Crete

Fire continues to rage on the Greek island of Crete, on the south-east coast, which broke out yesterday afternoon in a forested area near hotels, holiday homes, accommodation facilities and residences. Authorities carried out mass evacuations of hotels, rented rooms and homes in the Municipality of Ferma - residents and visitors in the area of Lasithi, Agia Fotia, Galini - after gale force 9 winds - around 80km/h - caused the flames to spread rapidly southwards. Kathimerini writes. "Wind gusts of up to 9 degrees Beaufort are constantly creating patches and new outbreaks, making it difficult for firefighters to work," law enforcement officials say.

Approximately 5,000 people were evacuated from the villages - mainly foreign visitors - according to the president of the Hotel Association of Ierapetra and south-eastern Crete, Giorgos Tzarakis.

For Giorgos Tsapakos, deputy regional director of the Civil Defence of Crete, 'more than 1,500 residents have fled their homes'. According to the local media Nea Kriti, many have been accommodated in hotels in northern Crete resorts, such as Malia and Chersonissos.

The fire front now extends for at least six kilometres.

Dense smoke enveloped the wide area, reducing visibility to almost zero in some places. The smoke extended as far as the beach of Makry Gialos, 10 kilometres from Achlia in Lasithi.

The emergency medical services are on high alert. Eight ambulances are operational, which have so far transported three citizens with respiratory problems, two citizens with minor injuries and one citizen with mobility problems to the general hospital in Ierapetra.

Fire brigades also arrived on the scene from Athens: 'Fire-fighting operations with aerial means have started,' said the spokesman of the Greek fire brigade, Vasilis Vathrakogiannis, 'with 230 fire brigades engaged with 46 vehicles and 10 helicopters.

The main road near the settlement of Agia Fotia was closed by the police, who urged residents and visitors to avoid all non-essential travel due to the dangerous air quality, extreme heat and falling ash. In the settlement of Agia Fotia, houses and rental properties have been destroyed and the area is without power, according to local sources. At least four elderly people were hospitalised with respiratory problems caused by smoke inhalation. As a precautionary measure, health authorities put all hospitals in Crete on alert.

La zona colpita dagli incendi

Nell’insediamento di Agia Fotia, case e immobili in affitto sono stati distrutti dalle fiamme

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No Italians in difficulty

At the moment, there are no Italians in difficulty due to the fire in eastern Crete. This was reported by informed sources - reported by Ansa - explaining that only one Italian was evacuated yesterday and then left with her own means, while there are no other compatriots involved in the evacuations.

The testimonies

"My aunt and uncle live in that area, in the Koutsounari area. Yesterday at 4 p.m., flames broke out favoured by the hot wind and barren vegetation. They immediately fled to the beach and at 8 p.m. there was an evacuation order. They were scared but now the situation seems to be improving'. Recounting the misadventure of the 60-year-old couple, originally from Rome, was their niece Francesca, also like their aunt and uncle who had been living in Crete for more than ten years.

"At 2am we saw the fire, there was a lot of smoke, we got scared and ran away, leaving the house with only two bags": this is the testimony of the employee of a hotel in the area of Ierapetra, Crete, affected by the fires and evacuated last night. "It is terrible to see the fire approaching, because you feel that your life is in danger," she added.

Dramatic situation in Spain

At least 102 people have died in the first extreme heat wave of the year that began last Saturday in Spain. This is according to the country's Everyday Mortality Monitoring System for All Causes (MoMo), as the sweltering heat alert continues in 12 of the 17 regions in Spain with warnings of extreme temperatures and for locally very strong thunderstorms, informs the state meteorological agency Amet on its webpage. In six months since the beginning of the year, the MoMo system has recorded at least 380 deaths in Spain attributable to the high temperatures.

Go to the Dossier on the Great Heat 2025

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