Greek Inspectors Condemn 151 Buildings After Deadly Wildfires Kill Residents
Wildfires continued across Europe this week with deadly blazes in Greece that destroyed buildings and killed residents, while officials in France faced criticism over their response and fires spread in Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Croatia.
Deadly Fires and Building Losses in Greece
Government inspectors condemned five buildings for demolition after a wildfire on Salamina island killed two elderly residents. [1] On-site visits in the island’s Aianteio region found three homes and two sheds uninhabitable and due for demolition, while another ten buildings were damaged but not beyond repair. [1] Across Greece, inspectors examined 427 buildings in the past week and condemned 151 of them, including 111 in the Porto Germeno, Psatha and Mandra region west of Athens and 25 in the Rethymno area of Crete. [1] The Salamina fire formed part of a wider pattern of outbreaks that also struck the northwestern island of Corfu and several mainland areas on Tuesday. [3] Seven water-bombing aircraft supported 20 firefighters and five fire engines tackling a blaze near the village of Temploni in northern Corfu that burned through forest and farmland. [3] Civil protection authorities issued a push alert urging residents in the area to prepare for a possible evacuation. [3] Three additional aircraft assisted ground crews fighting another wildfire near the town of Thebes northwest of Athens, while further blazes advanced through forest and farmland near Palaiochori west of Athens and Komara in the northeastern Evros region close to the Turkish border. [3] For Wednesday the entire country remained on category 2 of the five-notch wildfire risk scale, following a slightly higher but still reduced assessment on Tuesday compared with the category-5 threat that covered much of Greece the previous week. [3]
Power Lines Under Scrutiny as Fire Cause
Wildfires burn across land in Riau as BMKG issues early prevention warning. — Source: antaranews Faulty power lines have been linked to two of Greece’s biggest fires this year. [4] A confidential fire department report seen by Reuters concluded that a short circuit 150 metres from the village of Agios Vasileios on June 27 likely caused a smaller blaze that burned about 12 acres and later grew into a major fire near Athens. [4] That incident resulted in the death of two firefighting helicopter crew members in a mid-air collision. [4] The same report noted that the earlier fire constituted a serious indication of recurring problems in the operation or condition of the network. [4] Another devastating fire in Crete also killed two firefighters and forced evacuations of holidaymakers. [4] Last year faulty power lines were found to be the leading cause of major wildfires, overshadowing arson and negligence according to fire brigade data. [4] Suspected electricity network failures accounted for about 75 percent of the land burned in Greece this year, according to data from the Arson Crimes unit. [4] Greece’s power distribution network suffered from years of underinvestment during the 2009-2018 debt crisis. [4] Public power distributor HEDNO has increased annual investments from about €150 million in 2019 to around €800 million today and now lays around 1,800 kilometres of network underground annually, nearly eight times the 2019 rate. [4] The company’s distribution network totals 250,000 km, however, and a spokesperson stated that the transformation cannot be completed overnight. [4] The Mavro Spithari wind farm outside Agios Vasileios, whose power lines are privately owned, was identified as the source of the July 31 fire. [4] Strong northerly winds on that morning, combined with a very high fire hazard rating west of Athens, likely blew sparks from a short circuit or oscillating lines into surrounding forest and residential areas. [4] The wind farm’s network was not properly maintained, including clearing ground around electricity poles, according to the fire department report. [4] Three people were arrested in relation to the July fire. [4] Interphoton Investment Group, which owns the wind farm, declined to comment on the cause while the investigation continued. [4] Local resident Agathi Porfyri said the possibility of a fire occurring had never crossed residents’ minds before the June 27 incident, but added that it was only a matter of time before another fire broke out. [4]
Political Backlash in France Over Fire Response
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu was heckled by residents in fire-hit Le Porge over the wildfire response. [5] About 200 people gathered at the town hall in Le Porge, south-western France, on Monday where 183 homes burned down. [5] The organiser of a group of affected residents accused the prime minister of not wanting to meet them, while Lecornu’s office stated it had nothing to hide about how fire operations had been conducted. [5] The prime minister announced €12 million of aid for the Gironde and Landes regions, of which €10 million will go to Gironde and €2 million to Landes. [5] Lecornu said the aid would allow local authorities to launch projects without delay and build a sort of recovery plan. [5] He also announced that building permits for the equivalent reconstruction of homes destroyed by the fires would be issued within a month or even quicker. [5] Ludivine Daurignac, the organiser of the residents’ group, told AFP that residents plan to file complaints to get truth, transparency and justice and claimed they were blocked from meeting with the prime minister. [5] She said residents were met by lines of riot police blocking access. [5] Another local told France’s BFM outlet that residents would like to know why the fire was managed the way it was and why firefighters who were on site left to defend the tip of Ferret while only volunteer firefighters remained. [5]
Ongoing Blazes and International Aid Across Europe
Wildfires burn on the island of Corfu and Greek mainland. — Source: ekathimerini A large wildfire in Belgium’s Hautes Fagnes nature reserve more than doubled in size in 24 hours and required assistance from multiple European countries. [5] Belgian authorities said on Monday the fire had continued to spread during the night but remained limited due to more favourable winds and rainfall. [5] Two police helicopters and several air support resources from the Netherlands, Germany, Norway and Sweden were expected to assist teams on the ground. [5] Officials described the blaze as the largest in Belgium’s recent history. [5] In Spain a soldier died fighting the Peñas de Riglos fire in the Aragón region, while flames continued to rage on Portugal’s border with Spain. [5] The European Commission said on Monday that 104 firefighters with 36 vehicles from France had come to assist Spanish authorities in Aragón, where nearly 16,000 hectares have burnt. [5] Greek fire service figures showed 41 forest fires broke out in the past 24 hours, of which three were still being dealt with on Monday. [5] About 200 firefighters were deployed to keep twin fires from converging on the island of Salamina. [5] Croatian police arrested four people on suspicion of starting fires across 10 locations in the city of Zadar. [5] Croatia’s fire chief Slavko Tucakovic described the incident as one of the worst blazes in the country’s history, which led to the evacuation of around 1,200 residents and tourists. [5] Additional Greek outbreaks continued on Corfu and the mainland, with aircraft supporting ground forces near Temploni and Thebes. [3]
Indonesia’s Early Warning and Prevention Strategy
Indonesia’s forestry minister credited early BMKG warnings on a strong El Niño for enabling stepped-up prevention measures including coordination and weather modification. [2] Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni said the early warning system from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency regarding the El Niño phenomenon helped the ministry step up forest and land fire prevention and control efforts. [2] According to BMKG monitoring, El Niño is currently very strong, with the Nino 3.4 index reaching +2.19, a condition that has the potential to reduce rainfall across Indonesia. [2] The Indian Ocean Dipole is forecast to enter a positive phase between September and November 2026, which could further reduce rainfall in several regions. [2] The BMKG is providing cloud seeding potential data to support analysis for weather modification operations. [2] Antoni said the ministry has taken action since February, including cross-ministerial and agency coordination meetings, limited cabinet meetings led by President Prabowo Subianto, preparedness briefings in fire-prone provinces, capacity building for Manggala Agni firefighters, and the activation of emergency response posts in five provinces. [2] Antoni affirmed the ministry would continue to coordinate with the BMKG to strengthen synergy in wildfire prevention, including through weather modification. [2] He added that forest and land fires are a serious issue that cannot be addressed only by a single party. [2]
Broader Climate Context and Record Heat
The EU’s climate monitoring service Copernicus has confirmed that western Europe experienced its hottest June-to-July period on record. [5] This record heat forms part of the wider pattern of extreme weather contributing to the fire season across the continent. [5] In Greece the combination of intense heat, gale force winds and underinvestment in the power grid has placed additional strain on electricity networks that often cross rural areas of scrub or forest that have not seen rain in months. [4] Environmental lawyer Antonis Sifakis described the situation by saying residents live on a bomb and called for overland cables to stop. [4] HEDNO disputes the 75 percent figure for land burned by network failures and states that historically well below 1 percent of fires involve the distribution network. [4] Despite increased investment, the scale of the 250,000 km network means ongoing challenges remain. [4]
What to watch next: Indonesian authorities plan to continue coordinating with BMKG on early warnings and weather modification while the ministry maintains emergency response posts and capacity building in fire-prone provinces.
