ATHENS—Wildfires raged through popular resort areas near Greece’s capital, leaving at least 74 dead and more than 100 injured, in the country’s deadliest fire season in more than a decade. Fires fanned by strong winds broke out Monday afternoon on both sides of Athens, ripping through pine forests and towns. Tourists and residents were forced to quickly flee to beaches, where more than 800 people were picked up by coast guard and navy vessels and fishing boats. The fires hit areas of widespread unregulated construction with narrow streets and houses mixed among tinder-dry forest, which likely contributed to the death toll. Greece’s Red Cross said the bodies of 26 people believed to be trying to escape were found near a beach, some of them hugging each other in their last moments. Fires are common during Greece’s hot and dry summers, in part because of a lack of forest maintenance and weak zoning laws. Public spending cuts imposed during the country’s financial crisis have eaten into fire service funding and fire brigades struggle with aging equipment. Greece is suffering through its worst fire season in decades. Gusting winds have fanned the flames in the pine forests and resort towns around Athens, engulfing entire towns have and claiming more than 74 lives. Photo: Getty “This was a deadly mix: a mega fire, strong winds of more than 80 kilometers per hour [50 miles per hour] in an unregulated area at the peak of the tourist season,” says Yiannis Stamoulis, head of the Association of Greek Firefighters. Even after the fires were contained, authorities said the number of casualties could rise as rescue crews check scorched areas and the coast guard conducts a search-and-rescue operation for people who may have fled by swimming or in boats. “It will take several days, maybe even months to check all the area,” Mr. Stamoulis said. “We have to check room by room in hundreds of buildings and cars.” In addition to the death toll, 184 were injured, including 23 children and 11 people in critical condition, a fire brigade official said. Some bodies were found just a few feet from shore or from homes that had been engulfed with little warning. “It took people by surprise and it all happened really fast,” Ambulance Service deputy director Miltiadis Mylonas said. “The task we face now is organizing the identification of victims by members of their families.” Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras declared three days of mourning. “The country is going through an unspeakable tragedy,” he said. “Nothing and no one will be forgotten.” The Supreme Court prosecutor ordered an investigation and Mr. Tsipras said the extent of the fires raised suspicions of illegal activity. Greece has been particularly hard-hit this year. Spain and Portugal, normally fire hot spots, have been relieved by a rainy spring and cooler summer temperatures. Spain has had one major fire as of July 15 compared with 10 during the same period last year, when dry weather conditions and high temperatures scorched the Iberian Peninsula. The government in Lisbon has taken steps to prevent blazes before they spread after more than 100 people died in summer fires last year, including some who where trapped in their cars as they tried to flee. Lisbon has responded by increasing investments and trying to clear flammable growth. An exodus of residents from the countryside to urban centers during the past several decades has accelerated the spread of deadly fires as fewer people control the brush, noted Javier Madrigal, who studies forest fires. In addition, uncontrolled and unregulated urbanization in city centers has pushed people into areas that border forests, leaving their homes vulnerable. The death toll in Greece is the largest since 2007, when fires burned in the southern Peloponnese for days, leaving more than 60 people dead. Small fires were burning in some areas Tuesday afternoon while white smoke billowed from others. The resort town of Mati, about 20 miles east of Athens, was completely destroyed. “Mati doesn’t even exist as a settlement anymore,” one woman who managed to escape told local TV. “I saw corpses, burned-out cars.” Greece requested international help through the European Union, while parts of Attica, the peninsula that includes Athens, declared a state of emergency. Spain and Cyprus have offered assistance. Hundreds of firefighters from all over Greece were redeployed and the army was called in to help. Mr. Tsipras spoke over the phone with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and several of his European counterparts, who expressed their condolences and offered help, the prime minister’s office said. A firefighter tries to extinguish hot spots during a wildfire near Athens. Photo: Agence France-Presse/Getty Images —Jeannette Neumann in Madrid contributed to this article. Write to Nektaria Stamouli at nektaria.stamouli@wsj.com<doc-sep>Wildfires spreading in Greece have killed at least 60 people, including 26 found dead together in a field at a seaside resort. Initially, Greek authorities said there were 24 deaths from forest fires raging in the outskirts of Athens, which burned down homes and sent people fleeing for their lives. But early Tuesday morning, the Red Cross discovered another 26 bodies between two villas in the coastal town of Mati. They were adults and children trapped mere feet from the sea, who apparently hugged each other as they died, media reports said. “They had tried to find an escape route, but unfortunately these people and their kids didn’t make it in time. Instinctively, seeing the end nearing, they embraced,” said Nikos Economopoulos, head of Greece’s Red Cross, the BBC reported. The country’s fire department confirmed that 49 people have perished in what is being described as Greece’s worst fire crisis in more than a decade. But a local official has now put the number of fatalities at 60, according to media reports. At least 156 adults and 16 children have been hospitalized with injuries, the Associated Press reported, with 11 of the adults in a serious condition. “We were unlucky. The wind changed and it came at us with such force that it razed the coastal area in minutes,” Evangelos Bournous, mayor of the port town of Rafina, told the AP. Most of the those killed were in Mati, which lies 25 miles northeast of Athens, and died trapped in their cars or homes, the BBC reported. “Mati doesn’t even exist as a settlement anymore,” one woman told Greece’s Skai TV, according to the New York Post. “I saw corpses, burned-out cars. I feel lucky to be alive.” Fanned by strong winds, the wildfires sent hundreds of tourists and residents running for the sea to escape the flames. Fishing boats, yachts and navy vessels helped rescue them, Sky News reported. “Thankfully, the sea was there, and we went into the sea, because the flames were chasing us all the way to the water,” said Kostas Laganos, a survivor of the Mati blaze, according to the BBC. “It burned our backs and we dived into the water. ... I said my God, we must run to save ourselves,” he reportedly said. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has declared a state of emergency in Attica, the region affected, and has called on the European Union for help with firefighting. Greece has already mobilized 600 firefighters and other services to try to contain the forest fires, which threaten to keep raging as temperatures mount. “The [European Commission] will spare no effort to help Greece and the Greek people,” said the commission’s president, Jean-Claude Juncker, in a post to Twitter.<doc-sep>The worst wildfires to hit Greece in decades has left at least 74 people dead after flames tore through a popular holiday destination near Athens. Fast-moving flames, whipped up by 50mph winds, trapped families as they tried to escape Rafina, a seaside region 18 miles east of the capital on Tuesday. But the number of victims is set to rise with rescue crews forced to check charred homes and vehicles for bodies. Rescuers also scoured beaches and deeper waters for survivors who sought to escape the fires, despite rough conditions at sea. Recommended Sweden calls for international help as wildfires rage in Arctic circle The fires – one to the west of Athens near the town of Kineta and another to the northeast near the port of Rafina – spread at a speed that surprised many, trapping hundreds on beaches and cutting off escape routes. They broke out on Monday afternoon during a hot, dry spell but the cause was not immediately clear. Aerial photos showed swathes of charred forests and homes. Apart from the dead, which included children, hospitals treated 187 people, mostly for burns – with 10 in a serious condition. Alexis Tsipras, the Greek prime minister, declared three days of national mourning on Tuesday. “The country is going through an unspeakable tragedy,” he said in a televised address. “Today, Greece is mourning and we are declaring three days of national mourning in the memory of those who perished.” Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Show all 30 1 /30 Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens A house threatened by a huge blaze during a wildfire in Kineta AFP/Getty Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens A woman reacts as she tries to find her dog Reuters Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens A helicopter flies over a wildfire raging in the town of Rafina, near Athens REUTERS Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens An aerial view shows burnt houses following a wildfire in the village of Mati AFP/Getty Images Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Firefighters, soldiers and local residents carry a hose as a wildfire burns in the town of Rafina REUTERS Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens A man walks on the beach where burned trees hug the coastline in Mati east of Athens AP Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens People bring supplies for residents rescued from the wildfire in the village of Nea Makri AP Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Flames rise as a wildfire burns in the town of Rafina AFP/Getty Images Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Firefighters carry a dead person AFP/Getty Images Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras speaks to the media during his visit to the fire brigade's operational center in Athens EPA Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens An aerial view of a burnt urban area following fire in Kineta Hellenic Ministry of Defence/AFP/Getty Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Reuters Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Residents react as they look at their burned house EPA Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Rescuers and volunteers push an inflatable boat as locals are evacuated REUTERS Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens An aerial view of an urban area burnt following fire in Mati Hellenic Ministry of Defence/AFP/Getty Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens AP Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Asimina Psalti, 87, reacts as she sits outside her burned house in Mati east of Athens AP Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens A burnt forest following a wildfire in the village of Neos Voutzas AFP/Getty Images Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens People cover their faces from the smoke that fills the sky near Kineta AP Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Smoke rise over an avenue during a forest fire in Neo Voutsa, a northeast suburb of Athens EPA Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Melted metals from burned cars after a fire in Argyra Akti, Mati EPA Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Firefighters look for missing persons REUTERS Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Smoke fills the sky as members of the emergency services block a road near Kineta, west of Athens AP Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Burnt cars at the village of Mati AFP/Getty Images Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Cars are blocked at the closed National Road AFP/Getty Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens A woman sprays water outside her house that was damaged in the wildfires near the village of Neos Voutzas AP Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Smoke from a wildfire burning outside Athens is seen over the Parthenon temple atop the Acropolis hill REUTERS Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens An aerial view shows burnt houses following a wildfire in the village of Mati AFP/Getty Images Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens Flames are seen next to firefighting vehicle during a forest fire in Neo Voutsa EPA Greece wildfire: deadly blaze rages across holiday resorts near Athens People look inside a burnt car REUTERS Greece has called for international help through the European Union amid the growing disaster, as authorities deployed the country’s entire fleet of water-dropping planes and helicopters to give tourists time to escape. The Greek Red Cross said on Tuesday it had found the bodies of 26 people at a pair of villas in the village of Mati, in Rafina. The fire in Mati is by far the country’s worst since flames devastated the southern Peloponnese peninsula in August 2007, killing dozens. “Mati doesn’t even exist as a settlement anymore,” one woman told Greece’s Skai TV. “I saw corpses, burned-out cars. I feel lucky to be alive.” Mati is a popular retreat with local tourists, particularly pensioners and children at holiday camps. Hundreds of people scrambled to the sea to be evacuated by navy vessels, yachts and fishing boats as the fire closed in. I saw corpses, burned-out cars. I feel lucky to be alive Witness Athens has issued an urgent appeal for help to tackle several fires that are still out of control, destroying property and disrupting major transport links. Authorities said they would be making use of an unmanned drone from the US on Tuesday to monitor and track any suspicious activity. World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California.<doc-sep>
As the death toll from Greek wildfires rose to at least 74 on Tuesday, survivors of one huge blaze near the country's capital recounted how families fled to the sea to escape advancing flames. Residents scrambled to the water's edge as the country's worst blaze in more than a decade swept through the coastal resort of Mati, near Rafina, 18 miles east of Athens. Hundreds were rescued by passing boats, but others found their way blocked by smoke and flames. A second blaze near the resort of Kineta, about 30 miles west of Athens, was fanned by gale-force winds. Fire service spokeswoman Stavroula Malliri said that at least 74 people had died as of Tuesday afternoon and that 164 adults and 23 children being treated in hospitals for injuries. Xeni Dimitriou, the chief criminal prosecutor at the Greek supreme court, ordered an investigation as complaints circulated that the government was slow to respond and that there appeared to have been no evacuation plan, the Athens newspaper E Kathimerini reported. In Mati, many victims died after becoming trapped in their cars, photographer Giorgos Moutafis wrote on Facebook, while others drowned. Nikos Economopoulos, the head of Greece's Red Cross, told Skai TV: "I was briefed by a rescuer that he saw the shocking picture of 26 people tightly huddled in a field some [100 feet] from the beach. They had tried to find an escape route, but unfortunately these people and their kids didn't make it in time." Many victims appeared to be hugging when they died, he added. One of the youngest was thought to be 6 months old. Panagiotis Dagalos told Reuters that he ran to the beach carrying in search of his wife, who he believes was killed. "No, I didn't turn my head back. Nothing," he said. "I was running towards the sea. I was — I had memorized the track because [the] last day we had swimming at the beach, so I knew where to go." Coast guard and other vessels rescued 696 people who had fled to beaches. Boats plucked another 19 people from the sea. Andreaas Passios, a local resident, said: "I grabbed a beach towel. It saved my life. I soaked it, grabbed my wife, and we ran to the sea. It was unbelievable. Gas canisters were exploding. Burning pine cones were flying everywhere." A closed road stops cars during a wildfire in Kineta, Greece, on Monday. Valerie Gache / AFP - Getty Images Nikos Stavrinidis said he ran to the sea with his wife and friends. "We had to swim out because of the smoke, but we couldn't see where anything was," he told The Associated Press. Six people were in his group: Stavrinidis, his wife and some of her friends. They swam farther out to escape the smoke, but they began to be carried away by the wind and the current. They lost sight of the shore and became disoriented. "We couldn't see anything," Stavrinidis said. "We didn't all make it," he said. One of the women in his group and one woman's son drowned. "What upsets me and what I will carry in my heart is that it is terrible to see the person next to you drowning and not be able to help him. You can't. That's the only tragic thing," he said, his voice breaking. "That will stay with me." Some parts of Mati were still smoldering with white smoke early in the day. Burned-out cars were scattered outside gated compounds where three- and four-story buildings bore signs of fire damage. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras declared a three-day period of national mourning for the victims. Wildfires are not uncommon in Greece, and a relatively dry winter helped create current tinder-box conditions. It was not immediately clear what ignited the fires. In Kineta, motorist Giannis Labropoulos said he and his wife were "terrified" to see flames licking the sides of the main highway between Patras and Athens. "In less than a minute, we saw smoke covering the road," he told Euronews. "And then all of a sudden, the fire really covered everything. ... I stopped [recording video] in order to be able to see in front." Heavy rain is forecast across southern Greece on Wednesday. It is the deadliest fire season to hit Greece in more than a decade. More than 60 people were killed in 2007 when huge fires swept across the southern Peloponnese region.