These are some updates on the Athens wildfire that began on Sunday 11th August, 2024. The most recent update is at the top of the page.
Read official Greek civil defence announcements here: https://civilprotection.gov.gr/en
Athens/ Attica wildfires update Greece (Wednesday 14th August)
Thanks to a combination of very hard work by the fire teams, and an almost miraculous dropping of the extreme high winds for almost a 24 hour period, the fire is now largely under control.
Direct quote from the civil defence website:
“Forty hours after the extremely dangerous wildfire broke out in Varnava, we can now say that there is no active front, only scattered hotspots. During these 40 hours, 702 firefighters, supported by 27 forest commando teams, 199 vehicles, and 35 aerial unitsâincluding 17 aircraft and 18 helicopters, three of which were used for coordinationâfought the fire in northeastern Attica with superhuman effort. Volunteers, the Police, the Army, Forest Service and Forestry Workers, the Authority of Attica Region, and Municipalities, with the assistance of the 112 emergency service, evacuated and saved 45 areas.”
From here in Rafina, there is no sign of smoke in the sky at all, and the buzz of helicopters has all but stopped. The wind is gently picking up here as I write this, but nothing compared to the gales that caused the problems on Sunday/Monday.
While the ferries are now operating from Rafina port once more (pictured), I’m not sure if residents of Marathon are allowed back at this stage.
Of course, even if the fires are out, it is not really over. Some people from the affected areas would have been away on holiday, and don’t know what to expect on their return. A lot of houses and businesses were damaged or destroyed.
Here’s hoping there are no more major events like this in Greece this year!
East Attica Wildfire Tuesday 13 August, 2024
Good morning from Greece (Tuesday, 13th August 08.50).
A quick update of the Athens wildfire as from my perspective out here on the coast of Rafina. Use this as one source of information, not your only source!
The winds died down last night, and it’s also quite still right now. Hopefully that gives the fire-fighting teams an edge.
We didn’t have any emergency alerts in the Rafina area on the phones overnight, although I can see (according to Google maps at least), that two small fires started closer to us. We are still clear of smoke in this area, and the chances are these smaller fires will push west joining with the main burn area.
Overall, the fire spread and grew late yesterday and overnight moving in a south west direction. On the map, you’ll see the fire front has moved closer to the Marousi area. This is very concerning as it is a heavily populated area, so I imagine a lot of efforts are being put there to contain it. However, as I am not in that area, I don’t know what it is actually like on the ground or how far the fire front is from it.
Up to the north west of the map, you’ll see that the fire has touched the E75 tollway, which I mentioned yesterday is probably going to be used as a firebreak.
A concern here is if it jumps the road over to the Tatoi forest – This is hilly, woody area prone to fires. Normally teams would be very active here, but I have to assume they are stretched and will be concentrating on protecting the zones closer to urban areas as a priority. What happens if the fire jumps, and the wind rips through Tatoi Forest is not something I want to think about.
Overall, there’s a huge fire-front at the moment in terms of length, but resources are coming in from EU and surrounding countries. I think today will be hard work for the teams who must be exhausted. Stay safe if you are in areas close to the active zones, and work out how to leave just in case.
East Attica Wildfire Monday 12 August, 2024
You might have read on the news that there is a very big wildfire on the outskirts of Athens right now. I’ve included a screenshot of the map so you can see where it is.
The gold star shows more or less the historic center of Athens. The blue dot showing Rafina is where I am currently. The winds are actually blowing away from us, towards the SSW (ish), so we have no fire or even smoke in Rafina right now. Some people from northern and rural settlements have been asked to evacuate to or through Rafina.
You might notice on the map that there is almost a ring road around the southern and western edges of the fire. They are slowly evacuating people from inside the ring road from the south, and I believe they will do the same with the west. At this point, it’s more for smoke inhalation reasons than from any danger of a fire. My assumption is this ring road will act as an ultimate firebreak should the fire get that far.
I don’t think it will, however, it is very, very windy, and the teams out fighting the fires on the ground and with helicopters really have their work cut out for them.
Ferries due to arrive and depart from Rafina port will likely be redirected to Lavrio port instead. If you are in the center of the city, you can expect smoky skies, but the danger in the center of Athens from the fire is minuscule. Not sure what landing at the airport is like, but have heard of no disruptions so far.
Stay safe everyone, and let’s hope the wind drops down at some point.