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Two dead and evacuation under way as fires break out on Greek island

The fires broke out almost simultaneously on a Greek island near Athens on Sunday Two people have died and an evacuation is under way after two fires broke out within minutes of each other on a Greek island near Athens. Fire officials said nearly 200 firefighters were working to extinguish the flames on the island of Salamina and keep them from converging, Greek media report. The first blaze was reported at 14:40 local time (12:40 GMT) and spread rapidly due to high winds, according to officials on the island - which was under a high wildfire risk on Sunday. Some 90 people have so far been evacuated by sea, a coastguard spokesman told Greek broadcaster ERT. Five patrol boats have been sent to the area and several other private vessels are being made available for assistance, he added.

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Scoop News DeskGreek · Published Sunday, August 16, 2026 at 4:14 PM UTCUpdated Monday, August 17, 2026 at 7:18 PM UTC

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Dated changes to this report are shown here as they are published.

Version 2published
Sunday, August 16, 2026 at 4:51 PM UTC
The fires broke out almost simultaneously on a Greek island near Athens on Sunday Two people have died and an evacuation is under way after two fires broke out within minutes of each other on a Greek island near Athens. Fire officials said nearly 200 firefighters were working to extinguish the flames on the island of Salamina and keep them from converging, Greek media report. The first blaze was reported at 14:40 local time (12:40 GMT) and spread rapidly due to high winds, according to officials on the island - which was under a high wildfire risk on Sunday. Some 90 people have so far been evacuated by sea, a coastguard spokesman told Greek broadcaster ERT. Five patrol boats have been sent to the area and several other private vessels are being made available for assistance, he added.
Version 3unpublished
Monday, August 17, 2026 at 7:18 PM UTC
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