Disasters & Incidents
Salamis fires near Athens largely out after killing two
Two fires on the Greek island of Salamis near Athens were largely extinguished Monday after killing two people and forcing nearly 600 people to evacuate by boat, Greece's fire service said.
A fire department spokesman said the situation was better and there was no active front. Two helicopters and more than 200 firefighters remained in the area.
The fires broke out Sunday near packed beaches in the south and east of Salamis, just west of Athens and popular with day travellers. The civil protection agency issued evacuation orders, but the fire department said the fires spread in seven minutes because of strong winds, trapping an elderly couple near their home.
Three people remained hospitalised with burns on Monday. Earlier, officials said two bodies had been recovered from the Peristeria beach area in southern Salamis, and the dead were reportedly an elderly couple.
Greece has been hit by several major wildfires since late July, fuelled by strong winds. The fire department said 36 blazes had broken out around the country over the previous 24 hours.
Five firefighters have died so far, including a Danish pilot killed in a mid-air collision between two helicopters while battling a blaze near Athens earlier this month.
Update
The fire service said Monday that the two Salamis fires had been largely extinguished.
A fire department spokesman said there was no active front.
Three people remained hospitalised with burns on Monday.
Two helicopters and more than 200 firefighters remained in the area.
Source note: AFP news report published on 17 August 2026 at 06:55:15 UTC.
Update
A coastguard spokeswoman said more than 570 people were evacuated on patrol boats and other vessels.
The fire department said the Selinia blaze had been put out by evening, while scattered pockets of fire remained at Peristeria.
Fire department communications director Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said the Peristeria fire spread rapidly in seven minutes as winds reached up to 61 kph.
The fire service mobilised about 260 firefighters, nearly 60 engines, 10 aircraft and seven helicopters.
A local forestry official said the Skyros fire, which started Saturday, had burned about 1,300 hectares of forest.
The fire department said 36 blazes had broken out around Greece over the past 24 hours.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 August 2026 at 17:34:11 UTC.
Update
State agency ANA said nine people required medical care for burns.
Greece's coastguard said it had dispatched seven patrol boats to the area, up from five in the published candidate.
The coastguard said around 90 people had been evacuated by sea and that the operation was proceeding smoothly.
Officials said Salamis has about 37,000 residents, many of them elderly, and that beaches were full on Sunday.
Officials said the fire was burning through pine forest and bush.
Winds were expected to ease later Sunday, and the civil protection ministry said no area would be above level 3 on the national fire risk scale on Monday.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 August 2026 at 14:55:15 UTC.
Update
The fire service said about 200 firefighters, nearly 50 engines, six aircraft and seven helicopters had been mobilised, increasing the earlier deployment figures.
A Salamina deputy mayor said local officials were trying to stop the two fires from scaling a mountain and linking up.
The fire department said 34 fires had broken out across Greece over the previous 24 hours.
Five firefighters have died so far in recent Greek wildfires, including a Danish pilot killed in a mid-air helicopter collision earlier this month.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 August 2026 at 14:24:56 UTC.
Update
A fire department spokesman told AFP that two bodies were recovered from the Peristeria beach area in southern Salamis.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 August 2026 at 14:04:55 UTC.
Update
The fire service said two people died in a fire on Salamis island near Athens.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 August 2026 at 13:59:02 UTC.
Update
The civil protection ministry issued four evacuation orders in short succession.
The fires broke out almost simultaneously in popular bathing areas in the island's south and east, according to Yiannis Artopios.
The fire service mobilised about 150 firefighters, 32 engines, four aircraft and six helicopters.
Greece's coastguard dispatched five patrol boats, with private vessels also being made available.
Two fire department vessels were also assisting.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 August 2026 at 13:54:03 UTC.
Update
Two fires broke out on Salamis island near Athens.
A fire department deputy spokesman identified the evacuated people as hundreds of bathers and permanent residents.
Yiannis Artopios said an evacuation order had been issued.
Source note: AFP news report published on 16 August 2026 at 13:38:44 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The fires were described as largely extinguished, but firefighters and helicopters remained in the area.
The dead were reported to be an elderly couple; the supplied information did not identify them by name.
Source
AFP news report published on .