Wildfire Devastates Greek Island of Chios for Third Day, Threatening Historic Villages

12:25 24/6/2025 - Πηγή: Dikaiologitika

A massive wildfire has engulfed the Greek island of Chios for a third straight day, unleashing widespread destruction and threatening the island’s famed medieval mastic villages, known as the Mastihohoria.

The blaze, driven by intense winds and dry conditions, has burned through thousands of hectares of forest, destroyed homes, and killed livestock trapped in its path.

Emergency services are battling around the clock

to contain the fire, which remains out of control. The situation has grown increasingly dire as multiple fronts have flared up across the island, some in rugged, hard-to-reach terrain. Residents, some using only shovels, buckets, and tree branches, are desperately trying to protect their homes and farmland alongside hundreds of firefighters and volunteers. Smoke from the fire has traveled across the Aegean, reaching as far as the port of Chania in Crete, more than 500 kilometers away.

The historic villages in southern Chios—centuries-old settlements known for producing the island’s unique mastic resin—are under immediate threat. Authorities have ordered evacuations from at least seven communities, including Agios Georgios Sikousis, Lithi, and Elata, as flames close in. Many of these villages are cultural landmarks, and their destruction would mark a devastating loss for Greece’s heritage.

Reinforcements are being rushed to the island from across the country. More than 250 firefighters, dozens of vehicles, and numerous aircraft and helicopters have been deployed. But the scale of the fire, combined with shifting wind patterns and high temperatures, has made containment extremely difficult.

The Greek Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Yiannis Kefalogiannis, has sounded the alarm over what he described as "suspicious activity" behind a series of wildfires that broke out across the island of Chios over the past two days. During an emergency visit to the island, Kefalogiannis suggested the fires may not be accidental, pointing to their unusual and simultaneous outbreak in multiple, unconnected locations.

“This pattern cannot be considered coincidental,” he said during a meeting with local officials and emergency services. “The State is seriously examining the likelihood of organized criminal activity—specifically arson.”

To that end, Greece's Arson Crimes Investigation Directorate has been dispatched to the island and is working in close cooperation with the National Security Agency.

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Wildfire Devastates Greek Island, Chios,Third Day Threatening Historic Villages