Travel warning for Greece and Turkey: Summer forest fires ravage Athens suburbs and villages in Turkey; evacuations ordered | trip

Dozens of Greek firefighters and water bombers managed to contain a major forest fire on the outskirts of Athens late on Wednesday, forcing authorities to evacuate two nearby settlements.

Summer forest fires also plagued Greece’s Mediterranean neighbor Turkey, where two villages were evacuated but no injuries were reported.

Greece’s fire brigade said the fire near Athens – one of dozens across the country on Wednesday – was largely under control, but that firefighters would remain alert throughout the evening to prevent the fire from igniting again.

Officials said the wildfire was exacerbated by windy, hot and dry weather and appeared to have been deliberately ignited.

The disease broke out in low shrubs and olive trees in a sparsely populated area near Vari, about 30 kilometers south of central Athens.

Fire department spokesman Vassilis Vatrakogiannis said winds at times reached gale force, while police were called in to remove some residents from their homes.

Local authorities also said the fire appeared to have subsided late Wednesday.

“The situation is being brought under control,” local mayor Dimitris Kioussis told state television ERT. “I hope everything will be over within two hours.”

No injuries have been reported. ERT showed a burnt-out house, as well as destroyed plastic boats in a parking lot for yachts and speedboats. According to the fire brigade, it is still too early to confirm reports of damage to businesses and homes.

More than 140 firefighters, assisted by 16 water drop planes and helicopters, worked to bring the fire under control.

The area is dotted with hundreds of scattered buildings, both residential and commercial.

Vassilis Kikilias, the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, said there are strong suspicions of arson.

“Detectives are in possession of footage that clearly shows an arsonist setting the fire in dry bush,” he said. “A can of petrol was found nearby.”

Dozens of forest fires have broken out in Greece in recent days amid scorching summer temperatures, but were extinguished before causing major damage. Several people were arrested and charged with accidentally starting the fires.

Vathrakogiannis, spokesman for the fire brigade, said Wednesday was “a very difficult day” due to the weather conditions.

“Over the last few hours we have had constant new fires – one almost every 10 minutes,” he said. “Most were addressed immediately.”

The greater Athens area was also declared a high fire risk on Thursday.

Forest fires are common in Greece’s dry, hot summers and have caused dozens of deaths in recent years. Authorities have warned of a particularly high risk this summer, after a dry, warm winter in which vegetation has become tinder-dry.

Firefighters and aircraft battled another major blaze in the southern region of the Peloponnese that forced the evacuation of a village, as well as fires in central Greece and on the island of Lesbos in the eastern Aegean Sea.

Firefighters previously extinguished fires east of Athens and on the Aegean islands of Evia and Naxos – where a man was arrested on suspicion of accidentally starting the blaze.

In Turkey, officials said on Wednesday they had brought under control two forest fires on the historic Gallipoli peninsula and Eceabat, both in the northwestern province of Canakkale. Hundreds of firefighters and volunteers, assisted by fifteen water-dropping aircraft, battled the fires that broke out on Tuesday. The Eceabat fire reportedly started when a fire began burning agricultural waste that had accidentally spread into a forest.

Two villages in Gallipoli were evacuated as a precaution, officials said. The area was the scene of heavy fighting during the First World War and many historical monuments in Gallipoli were temporarily closed to visitors due to the fire.

Another four fires were reported in western Turkey on Wednesday.

This story was published via wire agency without modifications to the text. Only the headline has changed.