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New Wildfire Near Athens Follows Contained Blazes on Chios

Record heat has created tinderbox conditions across Greece

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Overview

  • The Chios wildfires that began on June 22 burned over 6,200 hectares before crews largely contained the flames by June 25 with more than 400 firefighters and aerial support
  • A fresh blaze erupted on June 26 near Palaia Fokaia south of Athens, prompting evacuation orders for five coastal communities and the closure of parts of the Athens-Sounion highway
  • Greece has mobilized a record 18,000 firefighters nationwide and requested additional aircraft and crews from European partners to bolster its response
  • Authorities charged a Georgian woman with unintentional arson for allegedly igniting one of the Chios fires by discarding a lit cigarette
  • Fire risk remains high across Attica and the Aegean islands as Greece endures its first major heatwave of the summer