The island of Evia was the hardest hit by forest fires, where the battle with the fire has been going on for seven days.
The flames engulfed 20,000 hectares of fertile land, leaving devastation behind.
The island is covered with large clouds of thick smoke, which makes it difficult to put out fires from the air and from which the sun cannot be seen.
Roads on the island were cut by flames, so a large number of residents and tourists took refuge on beaches and docks, in order to be safely evacuated by ferries that are on standby.
Thousands of residents had to flee their homes. They describe the situation as a horror film that they have been going through for the last week.
More than 2,000 tourists were evacuated. From Pefki, approx 200 Serbian tourists were transferred to the Edipsos spa, on another part of the island. Anyone who wants can go ashore for free.
Fires in both the Peloponnese and the suburbs of Athens
Large forest fires have spread to the Peloponnese and the northern suburbs of Athens, but the situation there is now somewhat calmer than in Evia.
In the Peloponnese, 70 percent of the region was destroyed, so the army redoubled its efforts to help firefighters.
Hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged last week, and at least 40,000 hectares of land were burned. 17,000 households were left without electricity.
The causes of the fire have not been determined yet, although several people have been arrested for alleged arson.
The wave of high temperatures, the worst in the last 30 years, is helping to spread the fire. The temperature even in the cold reaches 45 degrees.
Firefighters are missing, 22 countries have sent aid
Assistance in extinguishing the fire was sent to Greece by 22 countries, including Serbia, and in the Greek media and on social networks, angry citizens are increasingly criticizing the government for poor organization and insufficient number of firefighters who are engaged.
The Greek Federation of Firefighters says that after decades of savings in the public sector, the fire service has significantly weakened and that it is necessary to hire at least 5,000 new firefighters, Reuters reported.
Authorities are defending themselves with data showing that spending on civil protection has increased by 56 percent in the last three years, with a steady increase in the number of firefighters and firefighting aircraft.
They also remind that forest fires have so far not caused nearly as many victims as similar fires from three years ago, in which more than 100 people died.
While suffering criticism, Greek authorities have also begun assessing the damage. Measures to help citizens who have lost their homes and property are also being prepared.
“Our goal is to complete the census as soon as possible, in order to immediately begin the process of compensating the damage to our endangered fellow citizens,” the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport said in a statement.
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