In Greece, while investigating the cause of a deadly fire, firefighters came across a now-familiar culprit: an uninsulated electrical wire, sparks from which were blown by the wind into a field of dry grass, Reuters reported.
The power line near Keratea was rusty and clearly not maintained, according to a report seen by Reuters. Within hours, the fire had killed one person and burned about 16 square kilometers of land surrounding a popular tourist beach south of Athens. A resident of Keratea said the flames were spreading rapidly.
Initial fire department data suggests that downed power lines have been a major cause of major wildfires this summer, with both arson and careless fire-fighting. Of the 41 major fires investigated, 15 were likely caused by power line failures, burning more than 206 square kilometers.
That’s more than in 2024, and is a natural consequence of neglecting the power grid during an economic crisis. With climate change making summers hotter and drier, the damage to power lines is costing the country billions of euros in losses. An assistant professor at the Agricultural University of Athens said he and his colleagues have been working on the issue for years.
Another report seen by Reuters showed that power line failures were the cause of nine major fires in 2024. They included a forest fire north of Athens that burned 10,000 hectares.
Greece does not usually release information about the causes of fires. A spokesman for the Fire Service also did not comment on the data, as it is not publicly available information. In turn, the energy network operator HEDNO informed that it carries out regular maintenance of the power grid, and the budget for maintenance work in 2024 was increased to 165 million euros. The work includes cutting down overgrowth near power lines, trimming branches and conducting safety briefings. It also gives priority to burying cables underground to reduce the risk of fires. HEDNO added that since 2012 it has been found guilty of only three forest fires. In total, around 122,000 fires have been recorded in Greece during this period.
The Greek government considers previous governments to be to blame,
which did not allocate funds for maintaining the power grid during the economic crisis. Meanwhile, local authorities are losing patience. Dimitris Papachristos, the mayor of coastal towns hit by the August fires, said he would sue HEDNO over at least two major fires caused by faulty wires. He told Reuters that Greece experiences the same thing every year and that the mayor was full.
Restoring the aging power grid is a major task, with some of the country’s 4.5 million electricity poles located in forests that have become fire danger zones. Half-empty villages in rural areas are still connected by countless lines. In Keratea, a network of wires crisscrosses overhead, some so low that locals joke about drying laundry on them. To reduce the danger, wires in high-risk areas would need to be removed, repaired or, if possible, buried underground. At the current pace, this will take decades.
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