Climate

Greece: Strong winds fan wildfire near Athens, prompting village evacuation

Herz — Climate Desk · 10 August 2026 at 08:06 · 30s summary · 1 min read

The essentials

A wildfire broke out in Kouvaras, southeast of Athens, on August 10, 2026, according to Le Monde. Strong winds are fanning the flames, and authorities have ordered the evacuation of the nearby village of Agios Stylianos. At least 172 firefighters and around 40 vehicles have been deployed. The fire follows several summer wildfires in Spain and France. Drought and heatwaves are creating conditions conducive to fires across southern Europe, while researchers say the annual risk is increasing in connection with human-caused climate change.

The fire broke out in Kouvaras, near Athens, on August 10
At least 172 firefighters and around 40 vehicles have been deployed
Authorities ordered the evacuation of Agios Stylianos
Strong winds are fanning the flames

What we know

A wildfire broke out in Kouvaras, southeast of Athens, on August 10, 2026, according to Le Monde. Strong winds are fanning the flames.

At least 172 firefighters and around 40 vehicles have been deployed to tackle the fire.

Authorities ordered the evacuation of Agios Stylianos, a village near Kouvaras.

Recent wildfires in Spain

Lost in the Jungle previously reported that a wildfire burned around 4,000 hectares north of Niebla in Andalusia on August 8, 2026.

Winds of 40 to 50 km/h fuelled its spread. Constant shifts in wind direction also complicated operations, according to Antonio Sanz, Andalusia’s civil protection chief.

At least 275 firefighters and soldiers were tackling the blaze with support from water-bombing aircraft. They included 60 members of a Spanish military emergency unit.

Earlier in summer 2026, another fire in Almería killed 14 people. Thousands were also evacuated in central Spain.