The Burn Unit at Thriasio Hospital in Attica is currently operating at full capacity, as patients suffering burn injuries from wildfires across Greece continue to arrive, according to the hospital’s Plastic Surgery Department director, Maria Kalofonou.
Kalofonou said the cases remain isolated incidents rather than a mass influx of patients, but burns have been reported from different parts of the country, including among firefighters.
“Fortunately, these are isolated cases of burns from across the country. We do not have a mass arrival of burn victims, but we do have cases from various areas of Greece where fires have caused burns,” she said.
“There are also firefighters. Fortunately, at this moment, we do not have firefighters with extensive burns. However, overall, the number of arrivals is high,” she added.
Immediate first aid for burns
Kalofonou stressed that the first step in treating a burn is cooling the affected area with cool water, but not ice-cold water.
“The simplest and easiest thing is to apply cold water — not icy water, but cool water,” she said.
She added that emergency points should ideally be equipped with blankets or specialized dressings that can temporarily cover burned areas before patients are assessed and, if necessary, transferred to a burn unit.
Burns should not be underestimated
The doctor warned that no burn should be considered minor without proper evaluation, as the true severity of an injury may not be immediately visible.
“Any time we have something larger than a simple erythema, a simple redness, we should go to the hospital,” she said.
She emphasized the importance of proper assessment at health centers and regional hospitals, allowing patients who require specialized treatment to be transferred quickly to burn units.
“We have made an effort to inform both citizens and regional clinics and hospitals so that transfers are carried out as effectively as possible — or so that transfers do not take place when burns can be treated locally,” she said.
Kalofonou noted that assessing burn injuries is not always straightforward and that medical judgment is essential.
“The important thing is that any irritation beyond a simple redness should be seen by a doctor,” she said.
