Fires spread rapidly

The blazes erupted within 20 minutes of each other on Sunday afternoon in the popular southern and eastern beach areas of Peristeria and Selinia. Fueled by strong winds reaching up to 61 kilometers per hour, the fires spread rapidly through the tinderbox-dry landscape while hundreds of weekend beachgoers and day-trippers were visiting the island.

Hundreds evacuated

The fire department confirmed that two bodies—reported to be an elderly couple—were recovered from the Peristeria beach area after being trapped by the flames. Coast guard vessels and patrol boats successfully evacuated more than 570 people, while nine individuals received medical care for burns and several homes were gutted by the fire.

Massive emergency response

A response force comprising roughly 260 firefighters, nearly 60 engines, 10 aircraft and seven helicopters was deployed to the island, with reinforcements rushed in from the mainland. Firefighters contained the Selinia blaze by Sunday evening, preventing it from merging with the Peristeria fire, though ground crews continued to battle scattered pockets of flames.

Greece faces widespread fire risk

The disaster unfolded amid a grueling series of wildfires across Greece, driven by severe drought, high temperatures and unusually strong winds. Earlier on Sunday, firefighters largely contained a separate blaze on the Aegean island of Skyros that had scorched about 1,300 hectares of forest. Authorities reported 36 blazes nationwide over a 24-hour period, though winds were expected to ease, bringing a slight reprieve to the country's severe fire risk conditions.