Greece battling roaring wildfires as violent winds send flames towards Athens as hundreds evacuated across tourist towns

FIREFIGHTERS are battling raging wildfires closing in on Athens, with mass evacuations underway across Greece. Blazes fed by gale-force winds have flared across several Greek islands, destroying vegetation and burning houses. Blazes fed by gale-force winds have flared across several Greek islands Credit: Reuters Firefighters battle a wildfire in Alamano, Corinth, in the Peloponnese, Greece Credit: EPA On Saturday morning 29 planes and helicopters began water drops in Viotia, in southern central Greece, where a fire broke out on Friday. Ground forces, including 18 firefighting units and 92 fire engines, reinforced 325 firefighters as they battled ferocious infernos overnight. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Hundreds are being evacuated by sea from the coastal town after 500 were left stranded. Another 12 people, fleeing the same blaze, were evacuated from the beach in Porto Germeno by Greek Coast Guard patrol boats. A firefighter looks at smoke and flames rising from a wildfire near Agia Paraskevi Credit: Reuters The huge blaze has now spread to the neighbouring region of Attica, which surrounds the city of Athens. And firefighters continue to battle a large wildfire on the Greek island of Crete that ignited earlier this week. Around 8,000 people were ordered to move to safety as flames closed in on southern resort villages, destroying homes, farms, and livestock in their path. At least three emergency responders have lost their lives during the crisis, including two firefighters who became trapped in their vehicle near the mountain village of Krya Vrysi. Most read in The Sun A firefighting helicopter makes a water drop over wildfire near Porto Germeno, Greece Credit: Reuters Cars are seen burnt outside a destroyed hotel in Agios Pavlos, Crete Credit: Getty It remains one of the biggest fires currently active on the island and is still burning out of control. Fires have also broken out on the islands of Paros, Andros and Kalymnos. Specialist arson investigation teams from the Greek Fire Service have launched formal inquiries into the exact ignition points of the fires. While investigations are ongoing, extreme heat and weather conditions created the perfect storm for rapid ignition. It comes amid a spate of deadly wildfires wreaking havoc across Europe – including the UK – as the continent tackles record-breaking heatwaves. Flames in Spain and France are understood to be dying down, leaving Greece and Turkey to bear the brunt of the soaring temperatures. There are currently four active fires along Turkey’s Mediterranean coastline, including near the popular tourist centre of Antalya, according to the country’s agricultural ministry. And hundreds of firefighters battled a blaze near Valpaços in northern Portugal. At least three emergency responders have lost their lives amid the crisis Credit: AFP Firefighters battle a raging wildfire near Porto Germeno, Greece Credit: Reuters The fires have torn through 15,000 hectares so far, news agency Lusa reported, citing officials. Five people have been injured by the blaze, which has been burning since Tuesday. In Spain, more than 200,000 hectares of land has burnt in 2026. A fire in the Ávila region, which has now been stabilised, is now considered the largest recorded wildfire in the nation’s history. But, officials are warning there is a high risk of fires re-emerging across most of the country until at least Sunday. And in Suffolk, hundreds of holidaymakers were evacuated in the middle of the night as a wildfire raced towards a popular seaside resort. Comment now