Hundreds of firefighters continued their gruelling battle against wildfires on Greece’s Chios island for a third consecutive day on Tuesday, with the government declaring a state of emergency as flames consumed forests and farmland, forcing further evacuations, according to Reuters.
More than 400 firefighters, supported by 14 helicopters and four aircraft, confronted multiple areas across the northeastern Aegean island, where northerly winds complicated containment efforts.
Authorities issued new evacuation orders for villages southwest of Chios town, the island’s capital, adding to hundreds of residents already displaced. Firefighters and volunteers worked urgently to prevent flames from engulfing Agios Giorgios Sikousis.
The fires also jeopardised Chios’s renowned mastiha resin production—a unique agricultural product harvested from mastic trees—amid peak tourist season. Climate Crisis Minister Yiannis Kefalogiannis, who arrived on the island on Monday, acknowledged the challenge of “constant new fronts and resurgences” under unfavourable climatic conditions.
Greece’s record-breaking wildfire damage in recent years—1,745 square kilometres scorched in 2023 alone—has been exacerbated by climate change, prompting unprecedented investments in firefighting capacity.
This year, Greece deployed a record 18,000 firefighters, bolstered by 300 personnel from five EU nations and an expanded fleet of 82 surveillance drones. The government allocated hundreds of millions of euros for equipment upgrades and compensation for households and farmers devastated by extreme weather.
