Anger and heartbreak continue to define life for residents of western Attica, Boeotia and other areas devastated by last week’s wildfires, which reduced homes and businesses to ashes. One week on, survivors are struggling to rebuild their lives from the ground up.
“Our entire life has been destroyed. They didn’t even do the bare minimum. So many homes could have been saved. The houses burned after the fire front had passed—not while it was raging,” said a resident of Porto Germeno, where frustration has given way to outrage as communities survey the ruins of what were once thriving neighborhoods.
“It is total destruction. Our memories, keepsakes, family heirlooms, our home—the work of a lifetime, everything we poured our hearts into. There is nothing left,” another resident said.
Others returned to search for any trace that their homes had ever existed. One woman clung to a single surviving photograph showing the house her grandfather had built with his own hands. Today, nothing remains. “The sofa was here, the television was there… and over there were the shells and little stones we collected,” she recalled, pointing to the scorched ground where her family home once stood.
Some residents watched their homes burn live on television.
“We mourned them and thought we knew what to expect. But when you finally arrive here, nothing prepares you for what you see. This was our living room. All that’s left is the fireplace and melted floor tiles—a reminder of what our home used to be,” one homeowner said.
According to inspections carried out by the General Directorate for the Restoration of the Effects of Natural Disasters, assessments have been completed on 325 buildings. Of these, 118 were classified as “red,” meaning they are unsafe for use and must be demolished.
The situation is particularly grim in western Attica, where inspections of all affected buildings were completed within 48 hours. There, one in every two damaged homes has been deemed beyond repair and scheduled for demolition.
Satellite data indicate that approximately 27,922.91 acres of land were affected by the fires. Authorities expect to complete detailed mapping of the burned area within the coming week, paving the way for its formal designation as reforestation land.
Relief Measures Underway
The Deputy Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, who oversees state aid, said that with inspections now complete, the process has entered the next phase, with municipalities compiling and submitting compensation files on behalf of affected residents.
Officials from the Directorate for the Restoration of the Effects of Natural Disasters are assisting local authorities, while a strict timetable has been set to ensure that financial assistance is disbursed immediately once the required documentation is received. Compensation for homes deemed uninhabitable and slated for demolition has been set at 1,000 euros per square meter, for properties of up to 150 square meters.
Investigations Continue
As authorities seek to determine responsibility for the disaster, the mayor of Stylida and the contractor overseeing the project from which the Boeotia wildfire allegedly originated have appeared before the courts in Thebes.
Meanwhile, the funeral was held for the translator who lost his life in the helicopter crash at Psatha during firefighting operations. Investigators are continuing to examine the circumstances surrounding the mid-air collision of the two helicopters.
