Western Europe’s wildfire crisis retreats as Greece evacuates hundreds near Athens
Summary
Wildfires continue to threaten parts of Europe, especially Greece, where strong winds push flames closer to villages near Athens. France and Spain face large fires as well, causing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate. The fires are worsened by hotter temperatures and drought linked to climate change.Key Facts
- Strong winds are driving wildfires deeper into western Attica, near Athens, Greece, forcing evacuations.
- Greece deployed nearly 500 firefighters and 23 aircraft, but wind made firefighting difficult.
- France’s largest wildfire forced 224,000 people to leave their homes and burns across 420 square kilometers of forest.
- Nearly 3,000 firefighters are working on the fires in France, along with efforts in Provence.
- Fires in France and Spain have displaced about 300,000 people during the summer.
- Europe’s climate has warmed more than twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s.
- Scientists link human-caused climate change to doubling the chances of extreme fire conditions seen in these blazes.
- Greece’s government ordered evacuations in several communities and recalled the 2018 deadly Mati fire disaster as a warning.
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