A large wildfire that started in Boeotia, crossed the Kithairon mountain range, and spread into West Attica continued to burn on Saturday, with houses reported in flames in the settlement of Kryo Pigadi and extensive damage recorded near Porto Germeno.
Civil Protection services remain on full alert across multiple active fronts, including the areas around Vilia, Porto Germeno, Psatha, and Veniza. The fire is showing numerous scattered ignition points that reignite rapidly due to strong winds and dense, dry vegetation, according to the latest available information.
Kryo Pigadi Under Threat
The situation at Kryo Pigadi, near Agia Paraskevi Vilion, is described as particularly critical. Flames have entered dense pine forest and are burning alongside scattered residential properties. Greek state broadcaster ERT reported that some of the area’s densest forest is on fire and that the first houses in the settlement have been engulfed.
Greek media are carrying reports of houses burning, though no official final damage assessment has yet been issued for the area. Wind direction has at times pushed the fire away from the small settlement, but firefighters said constant shifts in wind, gusts, and the scattering of burning material over long distances ruled out any complacency.
Firefighting forces are working to establish defensive lines before Vilia to prevent flames from advancing further into the populated zone. Residents of Kryo Pigadi, Agia Paraskevi, and Agios Nektarios had already been told via the 112 emergency number to evacuate toward Vilia. Authorities continued to urge anyone in the wider area to follow police and fire service instructions strictly and not to return to evacuated zones without permission.
Aircraft Back in Action
After periods in which severe turbulence limited or halted aerial operations, aircraft returned to the firefighting effort. Pilots are operating where conditions allow safe water collection and drops, with priority given to ignition points near residential areas and terrain that ground units cannot reach.
A total of 19 aircraft and 11 helicopters had been assigned to the aerial firefighting effort, one of the helicopters being used for coordination. The fire service said earlier that storm-force gusts had in several instances prevented both sea-water collection and safe aerial drops. At least 500 firefighters, forest commando units, a large number of vehicles, and volunteers are operating in the wider zone, along with French and Romanian firefighters. Foot units have been deployed in difficult terrain to extinguish ignition points and create firebreaks.
Porto Germeno and Psatha
At Porto Germeno, extensive damage to properties has already been recorded. Initial estimates of around ten burned houses were quickly revised upward, and local government representatives said more than 100 homes may have been destroyed or damaged. The figure remains provisional as the official count is not yet complete. ERT reported that several houses were completely destroyed.
Psatha also remains under close surveillance as the fire has repeatedly moved toward the coastal zone. Force positioning there is aimed at protecting properties and preventing the front from returning to areas from which residents and visitors have been evacuated.
Race Against Wind and Nightfall
Strong northerly and northeasterly winds of force 4 to 6 Beaufort, with locally higher gusts, continued to be firefighters’ main obstacle. A gradual easing was forecast from the afternoon, which was expected to make aerial drops easier and help contain re-ignitions.
The anticipated drop in wind strength does not mean the danger will pass immediately. Attica and Boeotia remain under a Category 4 very high fire-risk alert, and the large perimeter of burned land requires surveillance over several days. Firefighting forces are prioritizing containing the flames before nightfall, protecting Vilia and scattered residential properties, and preventing new ignition points from growing out of control.
