A canadair drop water onto a wildfire near the city of Volos, central Greece, on July 27, 2023.
RHODES, Greece —
Wildfires reached the outskirts of Athens on Thursday as strong gusts of wind caused flare-ups around Greece, disrupting highway traffic and rail services.
The fires have raged across parts of the country during three successive Mediterranean heat waves over two weeks, leaving five people dead, including two firefighting pilots, and triggering a huge evacuation of tourists over the weekend on the island of Rhodes.
Water-dropping helicopters and a ground crew scrambled early Thursday to a blaze in Kifissia, just north of Athens, which was quickly put out.
Near the central city of Volos, a wildfire burned on two fronts, forcing a section of Greece's busiest highway to close for several hours, while national rail services passing through the area were delayed.
Abandoned sunbeds and umbrellas stand at the beach as a burnt hill is seen in the background after a wildfire, near Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, July 27, 2023.
Firefighters also battled flames on Rhodes for a 10th successive day, while flare-ups were reported on the island of Evia.
Wildfire carbon emissions for July in Greece were the highest by a huge margin — totaling over 1 metric megaton and doubling the previous record — since records started 20 years ago, according to the European Union agency that analyzes satellite data, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.
In Photos: Deadly Wildfires the Mediterranean Destroy Homes, Threaten Nature Reserves
1/14A firefighter react by a fence, looking at burnt land in Messina, Sicily, after a fire raged, July 26, 2023. At least five people have died in Italy in the north and fires in Sicily, which could prompt the government to declare a state of emergency in the worst-hit regions.
2/14Military members of emergency services work to contain a wildfire near Cakran, Fier, Albania, July 26, 2023.
3/14A man extinguish a fire burning a house in the Tono district of Messina, Sicily, Italy, July 26, 2023.
4/14Plumes of fire and smoke cover the hills surrounding Palermo's airport, Sicily, Italy, late Monday night, July 24, 2023, causing its shutdown and leaving planes trapped on the tarmac. The airport reopened on July 25 only for departing planes.
5/14Local residents try to slow down flames approaching their houses in Alcabideche, outside Lisbon, Portugal, July 25, 2023.
6/14A man takes pictures of a wildfire as embers fly about him in Alcabideche, outside Lisbon, Portugal, July 25, 2023.
7/14A man walks past a burned area after a fire near Kassiopi, Greece, July 26, 2023. Wildfires have been raging in Greece amid scorching temperatures, forcing mass evacuations in several tourist spots including on the islands of Rhodes and Corfu.
8/14Flames and smoke rise as a wildfire burns near the village of Gennadi, on the island of Rhodes, Greece, July 25, 2023.
9/14A local runs to avoid the flames of a wildfire in Gennadi village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, July 25, 2023. A firefighting plane has crashed in southern Greece, killing both crew members, as authorities are battling fires across the country amid a return of heat wave temperatures.
10/14Flames burn a tree in Vati village, on the Aegean Sea island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, July 25, 2023. A third successive heat wave in Greece pushed temperatures back above 40° C (104° F) across parts of the country following more nighttime evacuations from fires that have raged out of control for days.
11/14A firefighter cools himself with water while extinguishing a wildfire in Antalya, Turkey, July 25, 2023.
12/14A man picks up a damaged metal frame while going through the rubble of a destroyed building in the aftermath of a forest fire near the town of Melloula in northwestern Tunisia close to the border with Algeria, July 26, 2023.
13/14The charred bodies of chicken lie on the ground at a poultry farm in the aftermath of a forest fire near the town of Melloula in northwestern Tunisia close to the border with Algeria, July 26, 2023. At least 300 people were evacuated by sea and by land from Melloula, according to the Tunisian national guard, as fires raged again there.
14/14Men inspect burnt vehicles, in the aftermath of a wildfire in Bejaia, Algeria, July 25, 2023.
Previous slide
Next slide
"Unfortunately, it is not all that surprising, given the extreme conditions in the region," said Mark Parrington, a senior scientist at the agency. "The observed intensity and estimated emissions show how unusual the scale of the fires have been for July relative to the last 20 years of data."
In Athens, senior members of the armed forces paid tribute to the two pilots killed in a firefighting plane crash this week, at a ceremony held at the Defense Ministry.
Cpt. Christos Moulas and Lt. Pericles Stephanidis died during a low-altitude water drop on the island of Evia.
Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said the operators had shown "self-denial in the line of duty."
"Greece today is in mourning. Their memories will live on," Dendias said.
Funeral services for the two airmen will be held in northern Greece later Thursday and on the island of Crete on Friday.
