Forest Fires Near Athens: Damage Assessment Begins

The major wildfires west of Athens are under control, but are far from being completely extinguished. Firefighters continue to battle smoldering hot spots and small fires that have reignited, both on the ground and from the air, as shown by the ERTNews channel. The weather is helping—there is hardly any wind. Meanwhile, people are able to return to some areas. The extent of the damage to property and the natural environment is still difficult to assess.

Conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has pledged swift assistance and convened a crisis meeting for late morning. At the meeting, various measures are to be discussed and set in motion, including the prompt assessment of the approximately 100 burned-down homes. These are located primarily in the coastal town of Porto Germeno. The focus is on preparations for the start of reconstruction.

A subsidy for temporary housing is also being discussed to assist people who have lost their homes. Separate assistance is available for farmers, businesses, and facilities.

It is difficult to predict the environmental damage

The environmental damage, however, is difficult to estimate. It is not just the approximately 80 square kilometers of forest, scrubland, and farmland that have fallen victim to the current fires. Over the past ten years, approximately 200 square kilometers of forest have burned in the Attica region surrounding the capital, Athens—equivalent to 42 percent of the region’s total forest area, according to the newspaper *Naftemporiki*.