In the city of Alexandroupolis, Greece, firefighters have discovered the bodies of 18 individuals during their search for a major wildfire that has been raging uncontrollably for four days. Authorities are currently investigating whether the victims may have been migrants who entered the country illegally through the nearby border. These findings come as numerous wildfires are erupting across Greece, fueled by strong gale-force winds. Monday saw the death of two individuals and injury to two firefighters in separate fires in northern and central Greece.
Southern European nations are often susceptible to wildfires due to their hot and dry summers. Meanwhile, the Canary Islands in Spain have been battling a major blaze on Tenerife for a week, though no injuries or property damage have been reported. Climate change has been cited by European Union officials as the cause of the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires in Europe. This year is the second-worst on record for wildfire damage after 2017.
The bodies that were found near Alexandroupolis are now being examined by Greece’s Disaster Victim Identification Team for identification. The spokesperson for the fire department, Ioannis Artopios, mentioned that since no missing persons have been reported in the surrounding areas, it is being investigated whether these individuals entered the country illegally.
Due to the advancing flames in Alexandroupolis, eight villages and the city’s hospital were evacuated. The hospital’s patients were transferred to a ferry boat and other hospitals in northern Greece for their safety. A total of 65 patients were moved to the ferry, which then set sail to the town of Kavala with over 20 patients who were going to be transferred to another hospital.
The coastal areas west of Alexandroupolis were also evacuated by the coast guard, with 40 people being transported by sea to the city’s port. In the Evros border region, fires continue to burn through the forest in a protected national park, causing smoke from the blaze to cover a large portion of northern and western Greece. Numerous new fires have begun to break out throughout the country, including in woodland northwest of Athens and in an industrial area on the outskirts of the Greek capital.
With firefighting resources stretched thin, Greece has requested assistance from the European Union’s civil protection mechanism. Croatia, Germany, Sweden, and the Czech Republic are sending firefighting planes, helicopters, firefighters, and water tanks. Romania has already sent firefighters and water-dropping aircraft to aid in the battle against the wildfires. French firefighters have also been assisting in Greece.
The fire risk level in various regions, including the Athens area, is classified as “extreme.” Public access to mountains and forests in these regions has been prohibited until at least Wednesday morning, and military patrols have been ordered. On the Canary Islands in Spain, firefighters are working diligently to contain a wildfire that has been burning for a week. The island of Tenerife has already lost a third of its woodlands, but authorities hope to stabilize the fire soon.
A heatwave has led to high temperatures in Spain, with the northern Basque Country expecting temperatures to reach 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday. This has put large areas of Spain on alert for wildfires. In Italy, 700 people were evacuated from homes and a campsite on the island of Elba due to a fire that broke out.
According to the Italian Society of Environmental Geology, Europe has experienced over 1,100 fires this summer, which have burned approximately 2,842 square kilometers (about 1,100 square miles) of land. This is significantly higher than the average of 724 fires per year recorded from 2006 to 2022. These fires have destroyed wooded areas capable of absorbing 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually.
Antonello Fiore, the president of the Italian Society of Environmental Geology, is concerned about the worsening situation, as fires are not only occurring in Europe but also in Canada, the United States, Africa, Asia, and Australia. In 2018, Greece experienced its deadliest wildfire, which claimed the lives of 104 individuals near Athens. Since then, authorities have been cautious and have issued evacuation orders promptly when inhabited areas are at risk.
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