The blackened remains of Vangelis Ilias’ workshop stand as a stark testament to the devastating power of the wildfire that swept through Athens in August. For years, Ilias, a sculptor, poured his heart and soul into crafting tombstones, statues, and other items from white marble. But the flames, fueled by a petrol-filled generator, consumed his life’s work in a matter of days. While a bust of a Greek Orthodox saint was spared, the workshop itself is now a gutted and soot-covered shell.
“It’s not the financial cost. I’ve lost my work – something spiritual,” Ilias said, his voice heavy with emotion. “I’ve been doing this for 35 years, since I was a kid, aged 14.”
The fire, which raged from August 11th to 13th, ravaged over 100 square kilometers of forest and scrubland, scorching the shores of the city’s main water reservoir at Marathon. It reached the urban fringes of Athens, forcing thousands to flee their homes and businesses. The blaze left a path of destruction in its wake, decimating homes, businesses, green spaces, and even a sports arena in the northern suburbs. The scars on the landscape around Athens, home to more than a quarter of Greece’s population, serve as a chilling reminder of the fire’s intensity.
The National Observatory of Athens reported that the recent fire brought the total area burned in the Attica region since 2017 to over 700 square kilometers. This represents a staggering 26% of the region’s total area and 37% of its forests, highlighting the increasing frequency and severity of wildfires in recent years.
“We knew that this year would be the most difficult period in living memory,” Vassilis Kikilias, Greece’s Minister for the Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, told private Skai television. “Since the beginning of the fire season on May 1st, some 4,000 fires have started, a rate 50% higher than last year.”
The blaze defied a massive deployment of firefighters, water-dropping planes, and helicopters, leaving blackened hills, torched cars, and aerial views of devastation as stark reminders of its ferocity. Several countries dispatched fire crews and aircraft to assist in the fight. Despite the government’s swift evacuation orders along the fire’s southward path, residents who disregarded regulations were fined.
“The fire started, and then strong winds carried it – that part was a natural phenomenon,” Ilias explained. “But many residents ignored orders to clear the grounds of their homes, so we can’t just blame politicians for the response. It’s also up to us.”
The Athens wildfire serves as a stark reminder of the increasing vulnerability of our planet to extreme weather events fueled by climate change. It also underscores the importance of individual responsibility and community action in mitigating the risks of such disasters.