Two Killed, 570 Evacuated by Sea from Salamis Island Wildfires

Two people died on Salamis island on August 16. About 570 residents were evacuated by sea.

Two fires broke out within 20 minutes of each other at Peristeria and Selinia beaches, an island roughly 16 km from Athens. Greek authorities declared a state of emergency. Coast guard sent seven patrol boats to the shore, with ferries and private owners also joining the evacuation.

MarineRadar recorded four unique devices tracking the Greece region in the 24 hours around the fires, up from no baseline in the prior period.

Greek islands have faced recurring wildfire pressure through 2026. Salamis has year-round ferry links to Athens, which gave coast guard and commercial ferry operators a ready evacuation route.

The origin of both fires is under investigation. No boats were directly threatened by the blazes, but Saronic Gulf traffic was affected during the response.