Sparks from the country’s ageing power grid are responsible for 75% of this year’s most destructive wildfires in Greece, according to Politico, data from the Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes and findings from recent wildfire investigations. The fires destroyed more than 36,000 stremmas and caused the deaths of four people.
Although electricity infrastructure is responsible for only a small percentage of wildfire incidents, fires that start from the grid often break out under the most dangerous conditions, namely during strong winds, periods of increased electricity demand and often in remote areas at high risk of fire. This increases the likelihood that the fires will spread rapidly and reach destructive proportions.
This year’s wildfires destroyed more than 36,000 stremmas and caused the deaths of four people.
Regarding 2025, six out of 10 major wildfires and 55% of the area burned were caused by the electricity grid, said Ilias Tziritis, wildfire action coordinator at WWF Greece.
Loose or hanging power lines, vegetation coming into contact with cables, dust accumulating on electricity transmission equipment and other similar faults are some of the factors that can cause the sparks that lead to fires.
Critics argue that Greece has moved far too slowly in undergrounding distribution lines and adapting the grid to increasingly extreme wildfire conditions. “For years, we have been calling for the urgent undergrounding of cables,” said Christos Kalogeropoulos, a retired Fire Service lieutenant general and former director of the Directorate for Combating Arson Crimes.
Source: Politico
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