A wildfire raging through forests near Thessaloniki in northern Greece has killed a father and his 12-year-old son, while the boy's mother was left critically burned and is currently being treated in hospital. The tragedy comes as authorities in central Greece ordered residents of two villages to evacuate immediately after a separate, large forest fire broke out in the region.
Two bodies recovered from a burnt house near Thessaloniki
According to officials, the body of a man was found on Tuesday outside a house in a wooded area to the northeast of Thessaloniki. A day later, on Wednesday, once the same house had been completely gutted by fire, a second body was discovered inside it. That body was identified as the man's 12-year-old son. The child's mother suffered severe burns in the same incident and remains under treatment at a hospital.
Fire tears through forest and farmland in Fthiotida, over 135 firefighters deployed
On Wednesday, a fierce fire swept through both forest land and agricultural fields in Fthiotida, a region in central Greece. The blaze spread so rapidly that more than 135 firefighters were rushed to the site to bring it under control. Alongside regular fire department personnel, specialised forest firefighting units and local volunteers have also joined the relief and rescue operations. To fight the flames from the air, authorities have deployed 19 water-dropping aircraft and 6 helicopters.
Three more fires break out the same day, all brought under control in time
This was not an isolated incident. On the very same day, three more forest fires were reported at separate locations across Greece, in the northern region of Halkidiki, on Salamina island near the capital Athens, and in an area of southern Greece. The fire department managed to bring all three blazes under control in time, preventing further large-scale damage.
Greece has faced deadly wildfires before
Forest fires are a common occurrence in Greece every year during the hot and dry season. Notably, Greece has so far largely been spared the intense heatwave that has been battering several countries in Western Europe. Even so, wildfire incidents in the country continue unabated. Greece has endured devastating forest fires in the past as well. In 2018, a massive fire in the eastern part of Athens killed more than 100 people. Separately, a 2023 fire in a protected forest area in the country's northeast is considered the largest wildfire in the history of the European Union.
