Man dies after trying to save livestock in Greece wildfires as tourists flee

21 August 2023 , 15:08

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Man dies after trying to save livestock in Greece wildfires as tourists flee

Major wildfires were burning in Greece today with hot, dry and windy conditions hampering the efforts of hundreds of firefighters battling the blazes which have been burning for several days.

European Union officials have blamed climate change for the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires in Europe, noting that 2022 was the second-worst year for wildfire damage on record after 2017.

In Greece, authorities ordered the evacuation of two villages in the central Viotia region, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of Athens, after a forest fire broke out Monday morning. The coastguard put two patrol boats and several fishing boats and private vessels on standby in case an evacuation by sea was necessary.

Authorities said the body of a man was recovered from a sheep pen in the area under evacuation, with local media reporting the man apparently died of smoke inhalation while trying to save his livestock. In the northeast of the country near the border with Turkey, strong winds rekindled flames on several fronts in a major wildfire burning for a third day across forests and farmland near the town of Alexandroupolis.

A firefighter stands behind flames as a wildfire sweeps through Avanta in Thrace, northern Greece (DIMITRIS ALEXOUDIS/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Several homes were destroyed over the weekend. Thirteen villages were evacuated, while more than 200 firefighters, assisted by 17 water-dropping aircraft, volunteers and the armed forces were battling the fire, Deputy Fire Chief Ioannis Artopios said. Another two villages were being evacuated on the island of Evia, near Athens, where 19 French firefighters also helped fight the flames, Artopios said, noting that 65 forest fires had broken out across Greece in the previous 24 hours. Cyprus was sending two firefighting aircraft to help tackle the Alexandroupolis blaze, including four crew and five ground support staff.

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A helicopter drops water on the flames (DIMITRIS ALEXOUDIS/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

With gale-force winds blowing in several parts of the country, authorities set the fire risk level in several regions, including that of the Greek capital, to "extreme." "This extreme situation we are experiencing will further favor the outbreak and spread of forest fires," Artopios said.

An 80-year-old shepherd was killed as he rushed to save his sheep (PRAGIANNIS PANAGIOTIS/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Greece suffers destructive wildfires every summer, which officials say have been exacerbated by climate change. Greece's deadliest wildfire killed 104 people in 2018, in a seaside resort near Athens that residents had not been warned to evacuate. Since then, authorities have erred on the side of caution, issuing swift mass evacuation orders whenever inhabited areas are under threat.

During wildfires last month, 20,000 tourists had to be evacuated from the resort island of Rhodes (DIMITRIS ALEXOUDIS/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Last month a wildfire on the resort island of Rhodes forced the evacuation of some 20,000 tourists. Days later, two air force pilots were killed when their water-dropping plane crashed while diving low to tackle a blaze on the island of Evia. Another three wildfire-related deaths have been recorded this summer.

Ryan Fahey