Two people were killed and several more injured on Sunday after wildfires broke out on Salamina, an island near Athens, during one of the busiest weekends of Greece’s summer tourist season, officials said.
Fire crews reported that two blazes erupted almost simultaneously in different parts of the island — one inland near Peristeria and another close to the coastal district of Selinia, both areas known for their beaches. As crowds enjoyed the warm weather, authorities moved quickly to order evacuations from several nearby neighborhoods.
An elderly couple is believed to be among the dead, having been trapped by flames that spread with unusual speed, pushed by winds gusting well above 50 km/h. Roughly a dozen people were treated for burn-related injuries.
Footage broadcast on Greek television showed homes reduced to rubble in the fire’s path. Coast guard units and marine firefighting vessels were placed on standby along the shoreline in case residents needed to be evacuated by sea.
By evening, firefighters had brought the Selinia blaze under control, although smaller pockets of fire continued to burn near Peristeria. Hundreds of personnel, along with dozens of trucks, water-dropping planes and helicopters, were sent to the island, with extra units called in from the mainland to help.
The incident adds to a difficult stretch for Greece, which has already seen a series of destructive fires this summer, including one that forced residents and visitors from a resort town in the north just days earlier. Much of southern Europe has faced a similar surge in wildfire activity this year, driven by prolonged dry spells and unusually high temperatures.
