Residents of Porto Germeno, Psatha and surrounding villages in Western Attica have returned to find their homes reduced to ash, as firefighters worked to extinguish remaining hot spots on the fifth day of a wildfire that has burned more than 130,000 stremmata (roughly 32,100 acres) across the region.
Four days and nights of gale-force winds had made the flames largely unstoppable despite exhaustive efforts by firefighters and volunteers, leaving homes, vehicles and farm buildings gutted across the fire zone.
Some residents found their properties intact; others returned to find decades of possessions destroyed, with authorities pledging state assistance for rebuilding.
Firefighting crews, ground units and aircraft continued operations throughout the day, aided by weaker winds, with aerial water drops continuing until the last light of evening. By early Tuesday, the overall situation had improved significantly across the fire zone, though crews were still contending with minor flare-ups near Louba and Lakka Kalogirou, close to Megara. Officials said the priority overnight was locating any remaining hot spots that could reignite if winds picked up again.
Police maintained traffic restrictions across several roads in the wider area Tuesday afternoon to facilitate firefighting operations and prevent access to hazardous zones, including sections of the Megara-Alepochori provincial road, the Alepochori-Psatha-Vilia national road near Porto Germeno, and the Oinoi-Porto Germeno provincial road.
The fire has been among the most destructive to hit the region in recent years, adding to a wildfire toll that has scorched more than 480,000 stremmata across Western Attica since 2018.