Greece fires 2025: Homes and beach bars lost as major blazes continue to burn in Chios - ongoing alert in Zante and Kefalonia
Major blazes continue to burn for a third consecutive day across Greek islands and the country’s mainland.
Local officials have described the damage as “biblical,” with homes, businesses, farmland and forests reduced to ashes. Firefighting efforts are now concentrated on the island of Chios, where destruction in the village of Volissos is extensive.
According to regional authorities, houses, businesses, petrol stations, beach bars and grazing land have been lost, along with livestock. In Patras, flames reached the outskirts of the city, damaging the Saint Nicholas Monastery and forcing the evacuation of the a Children’s Hospital and a local nursing home.
Residents in several districts were ordered to move toward the city center via multiple emergency alerts. Fire crews in the wider Achaia region are tackling smaller, scattered fire fronts after a massive one-kilometer-wide blaze was broken into smaller pockets. Teams are also operating in the districts of Sychaina, Bala and Vounteni.
In Zante the fire has been brought under partial control, while Kefalonia also remains under watch for flare-ups. The fires have caused significant damage to Greece’s power infrastructure.
In Chios, over 150 utility poles have been destroyed, leaving dozens of villages without electricity. More than 5,000 firefighters, residents and volunteers are on the front lines, supported by 17 firefighting aircraft and four helicopters, as well as water trucks and heavy machinery.
The Fire Service remains in full readiness under an emergency operational plan to respond to new outbreaks today (Thursday 14 August).