Greek opposition accuses government of mishandling wildfire that burned through Athens suburbs

Members of the opposition and several of the country’s outlets have turned the blame on Greece’s centre-right New Democracy government as the Mediterranean country continued to reel from one of its worst wildfires in recent years.

The country’s left-wing opposition party, Syriza, immediately demanded the government provide answers on how the fire “managed to reach the urban fabric of Athens” and review the effectiveness of the country’s fire department.

Syriza has asked for GPS data from aircraft involved in fighting the flames, as well as minutes from a meeting coordinated by the Civil Protection Body on Monday, according to Greek broadcaster Skai.

Tuesday marks the third day of the wildfires, which killed one woman and destroyed 400 square kilometres of land just northeast of the Greek capital.

Although strong winds had caused the main blaze to die down by Tuesday, the fire department reported they were still battling hundreds of slow-burning smaller fires.

The fire, which advanced rapidly through people’s homes, also triggered the country’s media to criticise the government’s handling of the crisis.

The morning after the fire, the Ta Nea newspaper ran the headline “Enough is enough” on its front page.

An op-ed published in the left-wing daily Efimerida ton Syntakton claimed the government was full of “excuses”. It specifically blamed Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for failing to deliver on a plan to combat wildfires he made after a blaze ravaged the island of Evia in 2021.

Experts warn that the proximity of the fire to an urban area is a cause for concern, and could potentially be prevented.

“We should all agree that when we have a forest fire that occupies this area and reaches the urban fabric of a city such as Athens, something has definitely gone wrong” Thodoris Giannaros, meteorologist at the National Observatory of Athens said.

Giannaros points out that there are procedures that would help predict where the blaze is going, and allow firefighters to combat it more effectively.

“What should be done in real time when we have such a large fire is what we call tactical fire analysis, to know when the fire is there with accurate mapping of its perimeter, so that using data on the weather, vegetation and topography we can predict where it will move and how it will behave” Giannaros said.

Mitsotakis moves to contain disaster

In a visit to Elefsina air base near Athens on Wednesday, the Greek PM thanked aircraft operators who flew the aeroplanes that tackled the flames, adding that the government had laid “important first foundations” in containing the wildfires.

He acknowledged that his government was “always trying to get better.”

“We don’t expect the solution to just come out of thin air,” he added. “This is a total effort in a time of great climate crisis which I think we are all experiencing. We must constantly become better. And from any failure of ours or from any fire that escapes, always look to learn what we can do better.”

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The Greek government has been quick to announce support measures for the incident, with Mitsotakis expected to chair a crisis meeting on Tuesday.

Residents impacted will be able to apply for financial assistance and interest-free loans to repair their damaged properties. They will also be absolved from paying property taxes for three years and business owners for six months.

It is unclear how many properties have been destroyed in the areas impacted by the blaze, with domestic media reporting that in fire-stricken Penteli, one in four houses was deemed unsuitable for living.

Authorities said that three hospitals, two monasteries, and a children’s home were evacuated on Monday. The area impacted by the fires typically houses thousands of residents, although many are believed to have been on summer holidays.

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Critics say the government’s measures do not go far enough to tackle the root cause of the fires or prevent them from happening again. According to Efimerida ton Syntakton, the measures amounted to little more than “damage control.”