Wildfires Near Athens, Greece: What Travelers Should Know

12.08.2024 - 23:06 / cntraveler.com / Nast Traveler

Dangerous wildfires near Athens, Greece forced hundreds to evacuate the suburbs north of the country's capital on Monday, August 12, reported to be the worst fire the Mediterranean country has seen so far this year.

It's the latest of a summer marked by extreme temperatures and earlier heatwaves in Greece. This July, wildfires started on Kos, one of Greece’s Dodecanese islands. Hundreds of tourists and residents were forced to flee, taking shelter in a football stadium and other venues to escape the smoke. Fires also broke out across Chios and Crete in early July.

Wildfires were first reported raging through the forests north of Athens on August 10. A weekend of consistently high temperatures and strong winds had led to a continuous escalation of the situation. At the time of writing (Monday, August 12) the fires are still not under control.

Understandably, the news has led travelers to wonder if they should postpone trips to Athens and elsewhere in Greece. “The wildfires are north of Athens but reached the edges of the northern suburbs today, still far from the city center,” says Athens-based Jacoline Vinke, a Condé Nast Traveler travel specialist and trip planner at Trufflepig. “We can smell the fire and looking north we can see the smoke in the distance, but otherwise life in the city carries on in its usual (quiet, as it’s August) way. The air quality is not great for people with respiratory issues, but otherwise, I would see no reason to stay away from Athens right now. The fires are not in a touristic area; flights are not affected and there has been no personal danger for anyone. That said, it is a dramatic and frightening situation for the local people.”

Below, see answers to travelers' frequently asked questions concerning the wildfires with insight from local travel experts.

The wildfires started causing considerable damage in the early hours of Monday, August 12, and, at the time of writing, are still being contained by emergency services. Currently, the exact cause of the wildfires is unknown. However, gale-force winds of around 31 mph in some areas north of the Greek capital, plus several days of extreme temperatures approaching 104 degrees Fahrenheit, mean emergency services are working tirelessly to extinguish the blazes.

“The strong wind is the main problem in the affected areas,” Vinke says. “Tonight and tomorrow it will be slightly better so hopefully that will help getting the situation under control.”

The wildfire prompted evacuation orders in the suburbs north of Athens on Monday, August 12.

The Greek authorities have not yet announced a state of emergency in Athens. On August 12, the US Embassy in Greece issued a Natural Disaster Alert advising US citizens to “exercise extreme