MARATHON, Greece (AP) — In the blackened remains of his workshop, sculptor Vangelis Ilias stacks what little is left of years of his efforts.
In August, a ferocious wildfire swept through the mountains north of Athens, Greece’s capital, pushing into the city and coming within feet of where Ilias created made-to-order tombstones, statues and other items out of white marble.
The flames ignited a gasoline-filled generator at his workshop, which burned for two days before he could get near the property. A bust of a Greek Orthodox saint was spared and now rests in front of the gutted and soot-covered site in the suburb of Halandri.
“It’s not the financial cost. I’ve lost my work — something spiritual,” Ilias said. “I’ve been doing this for 35 years, since I was a kid, aged 14.”
The Aug. 11-13 wildfire tore through more than 100 square kilometers (40 square miles) of forest and scrubland and scorched the shores of the city’s main water reservoir at Marathon, where an ancient battle inspired the modern distance race.
After reaching the urban fringes of Athens, the blaze forced thousands to flee. It destroyed homes, businesses, green spaces and a sports arena in the northern suburbs — and left deep scars on the landscape around Greece’s capital, home to more than a quarter of the country’s population of 10.4 million.
The National Observatory of Athens said the fire brought the area of the land burned in the Attica region since 2017 to more than 700 square kilometers (270 square miles). That represents 26% of the region’s total area and 37% of its forests — underscoring the increasing frequency and severity of the wildfires in recent years.
“We knew that this year would be the most difficult firefighting period in living memory,” Vassilis Kikilias, a minister for the climate crisis and civil protection, told private Skai television. “Since the beginning of the fire season on May 1, some 4,000 fires have started, a rate 50% higher than last year.”
Blackened hills, torched cars and the aerial views of the devastation serve as stark reminders of the blaze’s intensity — it defied a massive deployment of firefighters, as well as water-dropping planes and helicopters. Several other countries also scrambled planes and fire crews to help Athens.
The government ordered speedy evacuations along the southward path, but also imposed fines on homeowners who disregarded fire safety regulations.
“The fire started, and then strong winds carried it — that part was a natural phenomenon,” Ilias said. “But many residents ignored orders to clear the grounds of their homes, so we can’t just blame politicians for the response. It’s also up to us.”
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