Two fatalities reported as twin wildfires force evacuations on Greek island near Athens
Two people died and more than 360 residents were evacuated after two separate fires broke out on Salamina island, prompting a large firefighting response.
Two deaths were confirmed and hundreds of residents were evacuated after two wildfires ignited within minutes of each other on Salamina, an island west of Athens. The first blaze was reported at 14:40 local time near the southern coast in the mixed residential-forest area of Peristeria, and a second fire started about 20 minutes later in the eastern town of Selinia, officials said.
Around 200 firefighters, supported by five patrol boats, additional private vessels, aircraft, 50 fire engines and a number of fire crews, worked to keep the two flames from merging as they spread across the island’s terrain. Chief fire officer Vasilios Vathrakoyannis said crews found two bodies at the first fire scene and that at least four people were taken to a local health centre with burns.
Deputy Mayor Thodoris Zannis said authorities were focused on preventing the fires from crossing a mountain ridge that could combine them into a larger blaze. More than 360 people have been evacuated by sea, according to Greek media reports.
Salamina, home to about 37,000 residents, many of whom are elderly, has been placed under heightened wildfire risk. The incident occurs as fire services across Europe contend with multiple wildfires, including a major blaze in Belgium’s Hautes Fagnes nature reserve and a deadly fire along Croatia’s coastline.