2021 Greece wildfires

2021 Greece wildfires
Satellite image of Greece on August 8, 2021
Date(s)3 August - 3 September
LocationEuboea, Peloponnese and Attica, Greece
Statistics
Total fires140+
Total area125,000 hectares
Impacts
Deaths3
Non-fatal injuries20+
Ignition
CauseArson[1][2][3]
Map of the areas affected by fire in Achaia and Rhodes
Map of the areas affected in Euboea and Attica
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Kyriakos Mitsotakis
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The 2021 Greece wildfires were multiple wildfires in Greece in August 2021, which killed 3 people,[4][5] injured at least 20 others and burned dozens of homes, after a historic heatwave for the country, with the highest temperatures reaching 47.1 °C (116.8 °F). Authorities evacuated several villages and towns. According to BBC News, Greece experienced the worst heatwave since 1987.[6][7] These fires were the worst fires in Greece since the 2007 Greek forest fires which burnt more than double the area (270,000 hectares) of the 2021 fires (125,000 hectares).

The largest wildfires were in Attica, Olympia, Messenia, and the most destructive in northern Euboea[8][9][10][11] from which ferries evacuated about 2000 people.[6] In 2021, approximately 125,000 hectares of forest and arable land were burnt during the worst fire season since 2007, with over 50,000 hectares burnt in northern Euboea alone.[6][12] The World Meteorological Organization connected the fires with the regional heatwave and wildfire season made worse by climate change.[13][14]

A fire had also broken out in the island of Rhodes a few days before the mass outbreak and resulted in a mass evacuation as well as leaving many people without power or water. Although many farms were destroyed, there were no casualties or burned homes.[15] Several wildfires were also reported in multiple parts of the island of Crete.

  1. ^ "Multiple Fires in Greece Linked to Arson, Suspects Arrested". Greek Reporter. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Three arsonists responsible for devastating fires in Greece arrested on Friday". Greek City Times. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Greek Prosecutor Calls for Investigation into Organized Arson Plot". Greek Reporter. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  4. ^ "Φωτιά στη Φωκίδα: Μπουλντόζα έπεσε σε γκρεμό - Νεκρός ο χειριστής". CNN.gr (in Greek). 9 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  5. ^ "Νεκρός από τη φωτιά της Βαρυμπόμπης". www.zougla.gr (in Greek). 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  6. ^ a b c "Greece wildfires: PM describes 'nightmarish summer'". BBC News. 7 August 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  7. ^ "Grecia: nuovo incendio vicino Atene, ancora fiamme ad Evia". ansa.it. ansa.it. 23 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  8. ^ Kitsantonis, Niki; Specia, Megan (5 August 2021). "In Photos: Fires Ravage Southern Europe". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Forest fire in Greece threatens Olympics birthplace". Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Thousands more flee fires in Greece amid heat wave". Associated Press. 6 August 2021. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  11. ^ "Greece fires: 150 houses destroyed by wildfires as monks refuse to leave stricken island". TheGuardian.com. 5 August 2021. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  12. ^ Newsroom. "Over 100,000 hectares burnt in two weeks | eKathimerini.com". www.ekathimerini.com. Retrieved 13 August 2021. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  13. ^ "WMO: New climate report is a clarion call for urgent action". World Meteorological Organization. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  14. ^ "Greek wildfires are 'harsh reality of climate change,' experts warn". NBC News. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
  15. ^ "Massive Fire Rips Through Rhodes, Leaves Much Of The Island Without Power And Water — Greek City Times". 2 August 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2022.