Renowned Greek meteorologist Kostas Lagouvardos has raised a red flag over the growing threat of forest fires across Europe and particularly in Greece. In a recent post on his Facebook page, Lagouvardos emphasized the alarming extent of destruction recorded so far in 2025.
From January to August 19, a staggering 454,000 hectares (or 4.54 million stremmata) have been burned in Greece, placing the country in fifth place for the worst fire seasons in the past two decades. While not the most devastating year overall, 2025 stands out due to the intensity and speed with which fires have spread across large areas.
“This year is not the worst we’ve seen, but the rapid escalation of wildfires in such a short time is highly concerning,” Lagouvardos noted, presenting a graph showing burned areas and the number of major fires in Greece since 2005.
Greece’s Top 5 Worst Fire Seasons (2005–2025)
- 2007 – 2,717,000 stremmata (271,700 hectares)
- 2023 – 1,747,000 stremmata
- 2021 – 1,307,000 stremmata
- 2012 – 524,000 stremmata
- 2025 – 454,000 stremmata (as of August 19)
Europe on Fire: 2025 Breaks Records
According to data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), a record 9 million stremmata (or 900,000 hectares) have burned across Europe so far in 2025 — the highest number recorded in the same period over the past 20 years.
Spain has been hit the hardest, with 3.5 million stremmata (or 350,000 hectares) already lost to fires this year, marking the worst fire season in Spanish history.
Climate Crisis and Human Impact
The spike in wildfires is attributed to a combination of factors, including:
- Climate change, which has led to hotter, drier summers
- Human activity, such as negligence, arson, and poor land management
- Lack of long-term planning and insufficient preventive infrastructure
Lagouvardos warns that the situation demands immediate and coordinated action — both in terms of fire prevention and response, and in the long-term adaptation strategies required to address the effects of the climate crisis.“We must not treat wildfires as isolated incidents. They are part of a larger environmental pattern that calls for national and European-level solutions,” Lagouvardos stated.
Call to Action
The data from Lagouvardos and EFFIS underline the urgent need to:
- Strengthen firefighting capabilities
- Invest in early warning systems
- Promote public education and awareness
- Develop climate-resilient forestry policies
Despite the challenges, experts believe that Greece and Europe have the tools and knowledge to mitigate future damage — provided there is political will, societal engagement, and international cooperation.
Source: pagenews.gr