Published On 5/7/2026
Hundreds of firefighters are fighting forest fires in Portugal, Greece and Spain on Sunday. Spain and Italy sent reinforcements to Portugal to help extinguish a massive fire that has been burning for more than 3 days, while Greece warned of toxic smoke rising from a burned-out recycling plant that was consumed by flames.
In the Vozela region in central Portugal, more than 1,200 firefighters, supported by about 400 vehicles and 15 aircraft, tried to extinguish a fire that broke out last Thursday, according to the Civil Protection Authority.
Information from the European Union’s Copernicus satellite mapping agency showed that the fire had consumed an area of 12,000 hectares (30,000 acres) by Sunday.
The European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Agency reported that Spain sent 120 firefighters and 45 vehicles as reinforcements to Portugal on Friday, and 3 firefighting aircraft were also sent from Italy and Spain to assist.
By midday, the fire appeared to be waning somewhat, with Portuguese media quoting officials saying it no longer had major active fronts, but some hotspots remained.
In Spain, the Spanish News Agency (Efe) reported that a massive fire had broken out since last Friday in the Girona region in the northeast of the country, and had destroyed approximately 2,200 hectares (5,400 acres).
The Catalan Fire Department’s chief of operations, Eduard Martinez, said that the fire’s circumference is 40 kilometers, and firefighters may not be able to control it on Sunday, according to the Spanish News Agency.
Toxic smoke
On the other side of southern Europe, in Greece, a rapidly spreading fire broke out at a recycling plant yesterday evening, Saturday, near the suburb of Oraiokastro in the city of Thessaloniki, necessitating the issuance of evacuation alerts for 3 suburbs and a facility housing 157 people with special needs.
The fire department reported that strong winds contributed to fanning the flames, and about 160 firefighters were deployed to fight the fire throughout the night until the fire-fighting planes took off at dawn.
The mayor of Oriokastro, Pandelis Tsakiris, told the official Greek Radio and Television Corporation that many businesses and homes were damaged, but the picture will become clearer after the authorities conduct a comprehensive assessment.
The Fire Department announced the arrest of a 76-year-old man on suspicion of causing the fire as a result of his negligence, as sparks from his car caused fires in plants near the road. He was scheduled to appear before the public prosecutor today.
Another large forest fire broke out on Sunday afternoon west of the Greek capital, Athens. The Fire Department announced the deployment of 210 firefighters, supported by volunteers, specialized teams, and 29 aircraft, including firefighting planes and helicopters, to combat the fire that is devouring pine forests in the Mandara region.
During the daylight hours, the authorities were racing against time to contain the fire before dark, as planes were unable to carry out firefighting operations.
The consequence of negligence
This fire comes days after another forest fire in a nearby area, which killed a 12-year-old boy and his father. The Fire Department confirms that most fires in Greece are caused by negligence.
According to Fire Department spokesman Brigadier General Ioannis Artopouios, about 85% of forest fires in Greece are caused by negligence, including sparks resulting from the use of agricultural machinery, discarded cigarette butts, and the use of outdoor grills, noting that “this means that most of them could have been avoided.”
Greece suffers from frequent, often devastating, forest fires during hot, dry summers. In 2018, a fire east of Athens claimed more than 100 lives, while the 2023 massive fire, which swept through a remote nature reserve in northeastern Greece, was the largest forest fire recorded in the European Union.
The country has increasingly turned to technology to combat the fire threat, which has been exacerbated by climate change. It is working to integrate a group of four satellites, launched into low Earth orbit in May, to monitor forest fires.
This summer, Greece has so far been spared the severe heat waves that have swept much of Western Europe in recent weeks, but it has nevertheless witnessed dozens of fires across the country, whether on the mainland or on satellite islands.
