Ongoing wildfires in Greece have worsened this weekend, with 44°C temperatures and high winds leading to fresh safety warnings.
Residents in the town of Kryoneri, 12 miles north of Athens, have now been ordered to evacuate their homes to escape the blaze, which started in the Afidnes region yesterday before spreading to the villages of Drosopigi and Agios Stefanos.
This comes as Greek authorities battle separate fires on Euboea and Crete,its two largest islands, as well as on the island of Kythera and in the south-west of the mainland.
Millions of Brits are set to visit the European country this summer, with Athens and Crete among the most popular destinations for UK holidaymakers.
However, if you’ve got a trip booked over the coming weeks, this extreme weather could impact your plans — and potentially put your safety at risk.
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Latest Foreign Office advice for travel to Greece
As of July 27, the UK Foreign Office has not issued any ‘do not travel’ noticed for Greece, but highlights safety advice due to a ‘high risk of wildfires during the summer season from April to October.’
The FCDO website warns that Greece is prone to extreme natural phenomena, including earthquakes, wildfires, extreme heat and flash floods.
It recommends travellers register for the Greek government’s national emergency alerts (you can do this here), adding: ‘Wildfires are highly dangerous and unpredictable. The situation can change quickly.’
To avoid starting wildfires – which is a criminal offence in Greece – you should always pick up litter (especially glass), avoid barbecues and make sure that cigarettes are properly extinguished.
Tourists are also urged to ‘be cautious if you are in or near an area affected by wildfires,’ and to call the emergency services on 112 if you’re in danger.
How common are wildfires in Greece?
Greece – particularly its islands – is one of Europe’s hardest-hit countries when it comes to wildfires.
In July 2018, at the height of tourist season, the worst wildfire to hit Greece in over a decade tore through a small resort town near Athens, killing 104 people and injuring more than 200.
Fires ripped through Mati, burning some 135,000 hectares of forest and destroying dozens of homes and businesses.
According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), 2020 saw the country’s highest number of recorded fires since at 88, but the devastation to land was worst in 2023, when 174,773 hectares were burned.
So far this year, a total of 24 wildfires have ripped through Greece, with Crete and the eastern Aegean island of Chios among the locations affected in recent months.
What to do if your holiday is affected
If you find yourself at the site of a wildfire while on holiday, follow instructions from local authorities, and make sure to keep any essentials – passport, keys, medication, phone – with you at all times.
If you’ve booked with a tour operator or airline, they should be your first port of call, and can help you to find alternative accommodation or flights, if necessary.
For those preparing to travel, it may be possible to cancel your trip for a refund, but only under specific circumstances. This includes if there is a wildfire within a certain distance of your accommodation, or if there’s an official travel advisory from the Foreign Office warning against travel – which, as it stands, there is not.
As Grant Winter, compliance officer at specialist travel insurance provider Goodtogo, tells Metro: ‘No airline is obligated to refund you for a flight you choose not to take.’
So, although you should always prioritise your safety, keep in mind that you’re likely to lose some – or even all – of your money if you cancel.
How dangerous are wildfires?
Very. And with fast winds and dry plants both in abundance throughout Greece, these fires can spread faster than you can run from them.
Burns are the biggest killer, but dehydration and heatstroke also pose a risk to anyone in affected areas, along with toxic particles of burned matter that are carried on the wind and can enter the bloodstream, which has been linked to myriad health conditions including asthma, cancer and respiratory disease.
Survivors face the trauma of losing homes and businesses too, and studies have shown that people who live through wildfires show increased rates of depression.
Essentially, they shouldn’t be taken lightly.
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