Attica: Over 700,000 acres of forest destroyed by fires in the last eight years

The figures are staggering: 26% of the total area of the Attica Region has been scorched by wildfires over the last eight years. Of the region’s approximately 1.23 million acres of forest land, 450,000 acres have been lost, severely impacting the environment and local communities.

The recent wildfire in northeastern Attica, which started in early August 2024, is a stark example of this ongoing crisis. The fire front extended over 23 kilometres, with firefighters battling 168 active fire fronts at its peak. A satellite image from the Copernicus Sentinel-2, taken on August 12, shows the fire perilously close to the centre of Athens, highlighting the proximity of these disasters to urban areas.

The European METEOSAT-11 satellite captured the vast spread of smoke from this fire, which, according to Meteo, was carried more than 300 kilometres southwest—a stark visual representation of the fire’s intensity and reach.

These figures also underscore the broader trend of increasing wildfire activity in Greece. In the past five years alone, nearly 4 million acres of land have been burned, marking the period under Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis as one of the most destructive in terms of forest loss in the last 25 years.

Correction Notice

We would like to issue a correction to the articles that previously stated 700,000 hectares were burned in Attica. The correct figure is 700,000 acres. We apologise for this error and any confusion it may have caused. The revised figures accurately reflect the devastating impact of wildfires in the region, and we remain committed to providing accurate and reliable information to our readers. Thank you for your understanding.

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