Nesmith said he flew into Greece on Sunday, when the wildfire first broke out in the village of Varnavas, about 20 miles north of Athens.
“When I flew in to the airport I was shocked at how much smoke there was,” she said.
At least one person has died since the fire began — a woman’s body was found inside a building in the town of Brilisia further south on Monday, Reuters reported — while others were being treated for burns and smoke inhalation.
So far the fires have prompted several towns northeast of Athens to order evacuations and convert hotels into shelters for displaced people, and authorities said emergency workers had to carry out several rescues to free trapped residents who refused to leave their homes.
Volunteers help firefighters put out a fire at a timber factory in Brilisia. Alice Oikonomou/AFP – Getty Images
The exact cause of the fires is unclear, but Greece’s Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Vassilis Kikilias, said firefighters were on the scene within minutes of the first blazes breaking out on Sunday. But despite the quick response, he said “extreme conditions” including strong winds and a prolonged drought exacerbated the fires’ spread.
As the danger escalated, Greece called on other European Union member states to help respond to the fires.
“We support Greece in its fight against the devastating fires,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement on X on Monday.
She also said the EU was sending help from its rescEU fleet, an EU-funded programme to respond to disasters and emerging risks, with at least two planes from Italy, a helicopter from France and firefighters from the Czech Republic and Romania.
Kikilias said Tuesday that efforts by hundreds of firefighters and emergency personnel had reduced the blaze to scattered hot spots and there was no longer an “active front.”
Relatives comfort each other after a wildfire destroyed their home in Chalandri, Greece. Angelos Tsourtzinis/AFP – Getty Images
More than 700 firefighters were battling the blaze, supported by 27 special forestry units and 35 aircraft and helicopters, he said in an online statement.
Wildfires are common in Greece during the summer, but climate scientists warn that unusually hot and dry conditions linked to climate change make fires more likely to start and spread.
Greece experienced its hottest June and July on record this year.
Satellite images taken by the EU space program highlighted the fire’s extent, and the program said Tuesday it believed the fires were covering at least 39 square miles.
Satellite images show fires burning near Athens, Greece. Image by European Union/Copernicus Sentinel-2
Smoke clouds from the wildfires spread more than 185 miles southwest of Libya, covering areas east of Athens, according to the EU’s Earth observation program Copernicus.
One resident of the Athens suburb of Stamata said he felt more should have been done to prepare for the possibility of wildfires this summer.
“We know there’s a risk every year,” Natasa, 30, who declined to give her last name, told NBC News. “Why can’t the operation be more proactive and organized?”
Maria Sidiropoulou reported from Athens and Chantal da Silva from London.
