The Hellenic Fire Service reported a significant increase in wildfires, with 3,543 incidents recorded between January 1 and May 1 this year.
This marks a 22% rise from the 2,907 wildfires during the same period last year, setting the stage for what the Fire Service anticipates to be a challenging season.
Experts express particular concern over the nature of the fires.
“Some of these fires displayed characteristics similar to blazes we would expect during the summer,” stated Theodore Giannaros, an expert at the National Observatory of Athens, in an interview with the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.
Adding to the concern is a recent wildfire that occurred at a high altitude in the Pierian Mountains, an area that typically would be snow-covered and less susceptible to such fires.
“We are also very alarmed by the fact that we had a blaze at a very high altitude in the Pierian Mountains, which should have been covered by snow that would have prevented such a fire from starting,” Giannaros added.
The early onset of these intense wildfires has prompted authorities to brace for what may be an unprecedentedly difficult fire season in Greece.
Last year, the nation was scorched by over 80 wildfires, which ravaged 1,800 square kilometers and resulted in 28 deaths1. The fires, fueled by intense heat waves, were the worst on record, with the European Forest Fire Information System noting the blaze in the Dadia National Park as the largest single wildfire in the EU since 20002.
The government’s response to the 2023 crisis included a €2.1 billion program funded mostly by the European Union to enhance disaster response capabilities.