Strong winds fuel wildfires across Greece, forcing evacuations

A firefighting aircraft drops water over wildfire on the slopes of Mount Poikilo in the Haidari district of western Athens, Greece, July 31, 2026. Strong winds fueled multiple wildfires across Greece on Friday, forcing hundreds of people to be evacuated by sea while firefighters battled more than 70 wildfires nationwide. (Photo by Lefteris Partsalis/Xinhua)

ATHENS, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Strong winds fueled multiple wildfires across Greece on Friday, forcing hundreds of people to be evacuated by sea while firefighters battled more than 70 wildfires nationwide.

One of the most serious blazes was burning near the village of Xironomi in the regional unit of Boeotia in central Greece, where flames spread toward the coastal settlement of Agios Vasileios, cutting off road access and forcing 254 residents and tourists to be evacuated by sea, Greek national broadcaster ERT reported.

According to the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (HNMS), winds reached Force 9 on the Beaufort scale, with gusts of up to 150 km per hour in some areas. Fire Service officials said the strong winds and rugged terrain were severely hampering firefighting efforts in Boeotia.

Strong winds and wildfires also disrupted transportation, with gale-force winds suspending ferry services from the ports of Rafina and Lavrio to several Aegean islands. In western Athens, authorities closed sections of major roads as a large wildfire spread on Mount Poikilo.

Firefighters were battling more than 70 wildfires across Greece on Friday afternoon, the Fire Service said in an emergency briefing. ■

A firefighting aircraft drops water over wildfire on the slopes of Mount Poikilo in the Haidari district of western Athens, Greece, July 31, 2026. Strong winds fueled multiple wildfires across Greece on Friday, forcing hundreds of people to be evacuated by sea while firefighters battled more than 70 wildfires nationwide. (Photo by Lefteris Partsalis/Xinhua)

Wildfire smoke rises from the slopes of Mount Poikilo as seen from the Haidari district of western Athens, Greece, July 31, 2026. Strong winds fueled multiple wildfires across Greece on Friday, forcing hundreds of people to be evacuated by sea while firefighters battled more than 70 wildfires nationwide. (Photo by Lefteris Partsalis/Xinhua)