Μake us preferred on Google As firefighters continued on Monday to extinguish scattered flare-ups along the Attica-Boeotia (Viotia) wildfire front in south-central Greece, animal rescue teams expanded parallel operations across devastated communities, searching for pets and livestock left behind as residents slowly returned to assess the damage.
For a third consecutive day, rescue crews and animal ambulances from the Intermunicipal Center for Stray Animals have been operating throughout the fire-stricken areas, entering evacuated settlements and inspecting damaged homes one by one in search of surviving animals.
Among the rescues was a large dog found chained in the yard of a partially burned home. The animal was freed and transported for emergency veterinary treatment. In another operation, rescuers discovered four newborn kittens, still blind and severely malnourished, inside an outdoor wood-fired oven where they had survived the wildfire.
The rescued animals were transferred to a temporary shelter established at the municipal stadium in Vilia, where veterinarians are providing emergency treatment and temporary care. Rescue teams also delivered food and water to poultry left alive but stranded in chicken coops spared by the flames, with the municipality of Mandra undertaking daily feeding until residents can safely return.
Support operations have also included the distribution of bottled water and packaged food to firefighters and volunteers deployed along the wildfire front.
Gregoris Gourdomichalis, president of the Intermunicipal Environmental Protection Association of Western Attica, said search operations would continue because experience from previous major wildfires has shown that many animals remain trapped or abandoned for days after evacuation orders are lifted.
In the coastal village of Porto Germeno in western Attica prefecture, a local resident identified as Markos, who has lived in the area for 35 years, cradled Bruno, a young sheepdog rescued from the fire, as he described the devastation left behind.
He said he feared the number of destroyed homes would ultimately prove far higher than initially reported, adding that while there had been no human fatalities, unlike the deadly 2018 Mati wildfire, countless animals had perished.
He also criticized what he described as the seasonal abandonment of companion animals by owners who visit summer homes before leaving them behind when the holiday season ends.
“The heart of Bruno is still racing,” he said, explaining that the puppy remains terrified by the sound of firefighting aircraft flying overhead.
Over the past 24 hours authorities have increasingly focused on humanitarian and animal welfare operations, including the establishment of temporary shelters for displaced companion animals, coordinated veterinary support and the gradual return of residents to affected communities. The shift reflects the transition from emergency firefighting to relief, recovery and damage assessment while rescue teams continue searching burned settlements for surviving animals.
