Firefighters uncovered the charred remains of 18 individuals suspected to be migrants who had crossed the Turkish border into northeastern Greece, an area plagued by wildfires. The discovery near Alexandroupolis came as hundreds of firefighters battled numerous wildfires across the country, fueled by strong winds. Southern European countries, with their hot and dry summers, are particularly susceptible to wildfires. In Spain’s Canary Islands, a major blaze has been burning for a week, although there have been no reports of injuries or home damage.
European Union officials attribute the increase in wildfire frequency and intensity in Europe to climate change. Greece has activated its Disaster Victim Identification Team to identify the bodies found near a shack in the Avantas area. Authorities are investigating the possibility that these are individuals who entered the country illegally. Alexandroupolis, located near the border with Turkey, is often a route taken by those fleeing poverty and conflict in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa in an attempt to enter the European Union.
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou expressed deep sorrow at the deaths and called for urgent action to prevent such tragedies from becoming the norm. Many villages and settlements in the region, including Avantas, had been under evacuation orders. Flames surged towards Alexandroupolis, prompting the evacuation of eight additional villages and the local hospital, with patients being transported elsewhere in northern Greece.
New fires erupted in various parts of Greece on Tuesday, including woodland northwest of Athens and an industrial area on the outskirts of the capital. With firefighting resources stretched thin, Greece sought assistance from the European Union. Several countries provided aid, including Croatia, Germany, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Romania, and France. The fire risk level remained “extreme” in several regions, leading to public access bans and military patrols.
In Spain, firefighters battled to contain a wildfire that has ravaged Tenerife for a week, burning a third of the island’s woodlands. Over 12,000 people were evacuated, with only 1,500 able to return to their homes thus far. Large parts of Spain experienced heightened wildfire alerts due to scorching temperatures.
Greece witnessed its deadliest wildfire in 2018, resulting in the loss of 104 lives near Athens. Since then, authorities have issued mass evacuation orders as a precautionary measure whenever inhabited areas are threatened. Recent incidents, such as the wildfire on Rhodes and the plane crash on Evia, have further emphasized the need for swift and proactive action in fire emergencies.
In Italy, 700 individuals were evacuated from homes and a campsite on the island of Elba after a fire broke out. Additionally, nine villages in northwestern Canakkale province, Turkey, were evacuated by authorities. This summer, Europe has seen over 1,100 fires that have consumed 2,842 square kilometers, surpassing the average of 724 fires recorded annually between 2006 and 2022. These fires have eliminated wooded areas capable of absorbing 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide each year, contributing to the worsening global fire situation.
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