Newsroom
In the middle of a deserted road on Chios, a handful of firefighters lie on the asphalt, fast asleep in their gear. Their boots are still covered in ash. Their helmets rest beside them. Around them, the smell of smoke hangs heavy in the air. It’s not a moment of peace, just a stolen breath between battles.
These are the faces of Greece’s firefighting crews as they push themselves to the edge to contain a massive wildfire that has ravaged the island since midday Tuesday. Fueled by strong winds of up to 5 on the Beaufort scale, the blaze has turned rich green hills into barren, blackened wastelands.
At dawn, the destruction in Volissos and nearby villages became heartbreakingly clear. Homes and infrastructure have suffered heavy damage, while vast stretches of forest have been reduced to ash. Evacuation operations were launched to rescue people trapped on the beaches of Limnia and Agia Markella, with five Coast Guard vessels, a lifeboat, a speedboat, and private boats rushing in to help.
Photos and videos shared by Fire Fighting Greece capture the toll, not just on the land, but on the people defending it. The island’s firefighting capacity, like much of Greece’s, has reached its limits as crews face multiple blazes during an unrelenting summer heatwave.
For now, the men and women of Chios’ fire service rest where they can, knowing the next call could come at any moment, and the fight will start again.
