Wildfires rage in Portugal, Greece and Spain while Greek authorities
warn of toxic smoke
[July 06, 2026]
By ELENA BECATOROS
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Hundreds of firefighters battled wildfires in
Portugal, Greece and Spain on Sunday, with Spain and Italy sending
reinforcements to Portugal to help with a massive blaze burning for more
than three days.
Authorities urged residents in parts of Thessaloniki, Greece's second
largest city, to remain indoors and shut their windows and doors due to
toxic smoke from a burning recycling plant that was engulfed by a
wildfire.
Another major wildfire broke out Sunday afternoon west of the Greek
capital, Athens. The fire department said 210 firefighters, backed up by
volunteers, specialized teams and 29 aircraft, including water-dropping
planes and helicopters, were deployed to battle the blaze burning
through pine forest in the Mandra area. Authorities were racing to
contain the blaze before nightfall, when aircraft can no longer perform
firefighting operations.
In central Portugal’s Vouzela area, more than 1,200 firefighters backed
up by nearly 400 vehicles and 15 aircraft tried to put out a blaze that
broke out Thursday, according to the Civil Protection authority. The
wildfire had burned across an area of 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres) by
Sunday, information from the European Union’s Copernicus satellite
mapping agency showed.
The EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid said that Spain sent 120
firefighters and 45 vehicles as reinforcements to Portugal on Friday,
while three firefighting aircraft from Italy and Spain were also
dispatched to help.
By Sunday afternoon, the fire appeared to be abating somewhat, with
Portuguese media quoting officials as saying it no longer had major
active fronts but that some hot spots remained.
In Spain, a wildfire burning since Friday in the northeastern Girona
region had burned nearly 2,200 hectares (5,400 acres), the EFE news
agency said. Catalan Fire Service head of operations Eduard Martinez
said the blaze had a perimeter of 40 kilometers (25 miles) and
firefighters may not be able to bring it under control on Sunday, EFE
said.
Toxic smoke from wildfire in northern Greece
On the other side of southern Europe, in Greece, a fast-moving blaze at
a recycling plant broke out Saturday evening near the Oraiokastro suburb
of Thessaloniki, triggering evacuation alerts for three suburbs and a
facility housing 157 people with disabilities.
[to top of second column]
|
Locals try to extinguish a wildfire on the outskirts of the northern
city of Thessaloniki, Greece, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Giannis
Papanikos)
Strong winds fanned the flames, and around 160 firefighters were
deployed to battle the flames through the night until water-dropping
aircraft could take off at dawn, the fire department said.
Oraiokastro Mayor Pandelis Tsakiris said on Greece’s state
broadcaster ERT that several businesses and homes were damaged but a
clearer picture would emerge after authorities conduct a full
evaluation.
A 76-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of having started the
blaze through negligence by generating sparks with his vehicle that
set vegetation near the road alight, the fire department said. He
was due to appear before a prosecutor Sunday.
The fire came days after another wildfire in a nearby area killed a
12-year-old boy and his father.
Most fires in Greece caused by negligence, fire department says
Fire department spokesman Brig. Ioannis Artopoios, speaking on ERT
TV on Sunday, said that about 85% of wildfires in Greece were caused
by negligence, including through sparks generated through the use of
agriculture machinery, discarded cigarettes and the use of outdoor
barbecues. “This means most of them could have been avoided,” he
said.
Greece suffers frequent, often devastating, wildfires during its
hot, dry summers. In 2018, a blaze east of Athens killed more than
100 people, while a massive fire in 2023, which tore through a
remote nature reserve in northeastern Greece, was the largest
wildfire recorded in the EU.
The country has increasingly turned to technology to combat the
threat of fires, exacerbated by climate change. It is integrating an
array of four satellites, launched into low orbit in May, that will
monitor for wildfires.
So far this summer, Greece has been spared the heatwaves that have
scorched much of western Europe in recent weeks. But it has still
seen dozens of blazes across the country, both on the mainland and
the country's islands.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
