Greece’s Wildfire Season Is Getting Worse. Here’s the Reason
Greece is burning again this summer, and a top fire meteorologist says the country is caught in one of its worst scenarios yet. Thodoris Giannaros, fire meteorologist at the National Observatory of Athens, warned this week that firefighting forces are already exhausted after battling multiple simultaneous blazes during extreme conditions, and August has barely begun.
Giannaros laid out three overlapping causes that he says explain why this happens every single year. The first is climate change, which he described as setting a stage where fire can spread with terrifying ease. The second is human activity, which he says is responsible for the vast majority of ignitions, whether through negligence, dangerous outdoor activity, or deliberate arson.
"Every person who prevents a new ignition right now is actively helping a fire service that has very little left in reserve" — Giannaros
The third cause is structural, and Giannaros argued it may be the deepest root of all. Decades of poor land management have left forests unmanaged, rural areas abandoned, and dead vegetation accumulating on the ground beneath the tree canopy. He pointed specifically to areas like Porto Germeno and Mati as examples of places where urban development expanded into forest zones with no spatial planning, making any fire that reaches them dramatically worse.
Even with winds easing slightly compared to recent days, Giannaros stressed the danger remains at its highest level for the season. He noted that by early August, vegetation is already at peak flammability regardless of recent temperatures, meaning even moderate winds of around four Beaufort can cause serious problems.
He issued a direct appeal for citizens to avoid any activity that could start a fire, saying every person who prevents a new ignition right now is actively helping a fire service that has very little left in reserve.
