As new wildfires rage in Greece, a survivor and a firefighter share their stories

Five years ago, Lydia Gerakaki found herself in a life-or-death situation. Sitting in her car with her grandmother and pet dog in tow, she watched terror-stricken as flames engulfed the village where she had spent every summer since she was 3 years old. 

The 2018 wildfires in the Greek village of Mati were the second-worst fire disaster of the 21st century. Aided by strong winds, the blaze rapidly ripped through the village, catching many people off guard and leaving them trapped in their homes or cars. 

Mismanagement by local fire and police officials added to the devastation, with Greek prosecutors later charging senior officials with negligent manslaughter. “People died because police misdirected them and they ended up driving towards the fire,” says Gerakaki. A total of 104 people lost their lives as a result of the fires.

For over a week now, firefighters in Greece have been struggling to contain brutal wildfires that are ravaging the heat-battered country and its islands.

An air force plane crashed while dropping water on the fires in southern Greece, killing both pilots, and many have been hospitalised with respiratory problems.

Some 30,000 people have been moved to safety on the island of Rhodes, the country’s largest-ever wildfire evacuation. Evacuations have also been ordered on the western island of Corfu, on the island of Evia and in a mountainous area in the southern Peloponnese region.

There have already been some unfortunate echoes with the 2018 fire in Mati, as authorities are once again being criticised for their response.

‘Nobody was warned’

It began on a Monday, a lazy summer day like any other in Mati. After spending July 23, 2018, on the beach with her family, Gerakaki made her way back home. In that sweet moment of rest between being out in the sun and preparing dinner, her mother, grandmother and younger sister sat down to watch TV. Images of firefighters struggling to put out a blaze that had been raging since the morning in Kineta, about an hour’s drive west of Mati, flickered in front of their eyes. It was their first warning.

But while authorities concentrated on Kineta, the fire spread rapidly, quickly reaching Rafina – the village next door to Mati. “The sky turned orange and yellow, it became very smoky,” Gerakaki recalls. “And then there was a power cut.”

At that moment, the family knew something was amiss. They packed their two cars with essentials like medicine, water and clothes, making sure their pet dog and cats were aboard. By the time everything was in order, the fire had reached the house next door. 

“Nobody was evacuated or warned,” says Gerakaki. “The only way people knew what was happening was because they saw others had started running.”

In a frenzy, Gerakaki and her mother got into separate cars and made their way out, but almost immediately got separated as they took opposite directions. With her grandmother in the back seat, Gerakaki found herself stuck at a roadblock in the centre of the village with other residents who were also trying to escape. “That’s when I started to panic,” she says.

“I felt like I was in a movie. Everything froze, time slowed down. I lowered my window to look around and see if I could recognise any faces,” Gerakaki recounts. “I was stuck, I needed to get out of the roadblock without leaving my car.”

The young woman eventually noticed her mother’s friend Joanna in a car next to hers, but facing the opposite direction. Shouting through her window, Joanna was trying to help others by telling them where the fire was coming from. “I somehow had the patience to let her finish her sentence,” Gerakaki laughs, “And then I said: ‘Ms. Joanna, what do we do?’” The familiar face took one look at Gerakaki, told her to close her window and instructed her to make a U-turn in front of her car so they could head out together. “She saved me that day.” 

Gerakaki had only 3 percent battery on her phone when her mother called to say where she was. She headed their way and eventually found them. After a flat tire they left the young woman’s car behind, piling into the second vehicle and driving to their permanent residence in a northern suburb of Athens.        

After a sleepless night, the family decided to head back to Mati, where the flames had subsided. The extent of the damage shocked them. “It was like being in a war film,” Gerakaki says. “Everything smelled like burnt flesh and trees. There was smoke everywhere, a few flames here and there … Everything was wiped.”

Luckily for the family, their house was still intact. But for Gerakaki, the devastation went far beyond material possessions. Hearing testimonials of tourists stuck in airports or homeowners losing their properties in the ongoing Rhodes fire can sometimes irk her.

“I see so many people talking about losing their houses and the memories attached to them … I totally understand them, but I never had the luxury to mourn those memories because we had to mourn actual human lives.” 

Gerakaki is aware of the power of her experience. Though hesitant to call herself one, she is a survivor who has first-hand information on what to do in case of a fire. “I have a lot of survivor’s guilt,” she says. “But I know that it is my responsibility to tell my story.”

“We need to remember these things, so that they never happen again.”

Prevention is key

After the fire, Gerakaki decided she wanted to help others. “I was not prepared in any way, shape or form,” she says, which is partially what drove her to begin volunteering. Since 2018, she has been supporting burn victims and raising awareness on the dangers of wildfires through an organisation set up by her mother and another Mati resident called Salvia.

The organisation’s mission is to provide both financial and social support to wildfire victims through medical services, rehabilitation or counselling. They also record the stories of survivors to develop protocols for communities in case of future emergencies. “We’ve been trying to educate people to be more prepared in any way they can,” says Gerakaki. Because sometimes, she says, “all you can do is take matters into your own hands”.

Her first piece of advice is never to underestimate the importance of evacuating. “We never had that opportunity,” she says. “So even if it feels like a huge exaggeration … you’re better off safe than sorry.” 

For veteran firefighter Yaël Lecras, however, evacuating on your own can undermine firefighting efforts. It is all about timing, he says. “You can act well ahead of time and leave without hindering emergency services. But if local authorities decide not to give an evacuation order right away, it’s often because they need access to key roads to fight the fire.”   

Where Gerakaki and Lecras are of the same mind is on prevention. Precautionary measures taken by individuals, as well as fire authorities or police, are key to avoiding possible disasters.

As a resident of a fire-prone area, Lecras says it is vital to clean out any debris or undergrowth around your house. This will help limit what is flammable and can even prevent a fire from starting. In France, doing so is mandatory under the country’s forestry code. 

“Nine out of ten times, fires are started by people,” Lecras explains, noting this doesn’t mean intentional arson. “Fires start close to sources of human activity … Something like a spark flying off a chainsaw at a construction site is enough to do the trick,” he says.

But be ready to run

Beyond keeping grounds away from any fire hazards, both Gerakaki and Lecras say it is important to have a “go bag” ready. During the Mati fire, Gerakaki could have saved precious minutes had her car already been packed.

“Some water, essential medicine, a few items of clothing and your passport will do,” says Lecras. “It may seem intimidating, but it’s essential that you are ready to go.” Things can escalate rapidly.

Gerakaki agrees. “What is most important is to keep a few basic things in mind,” says Gerakaki. “You won’t remember details because you’ll be in a panic.” She touches on the importance of having clothing that covers your entire body, preferably made of leather or a material that isn’t very flammable. A wet towel or mask in case of contact with smoke can help, Lecras says, “but it can quickly become extremely toxic, so it is not a solution”. 

And lastly, Lecras insists on getting to know your surroundings, especially while travelling. “Know where the roads lead to, become familiar with public transport systems and get to know the geography,” he says. “The same logic applies to the building you’re in. Make sure you know where the safety exits are and where you could potentially find water.”  

Community effort

As the wildfires rage on in Greece, volunteers are showing up in full force to help with the rescue efforts. Eleni Kyriakouli works at a private school in the north of Rhodes which opened its doors to shelter evacuees. “I have never experienced something like this,” she says. “The fires keep expanding.”

Since the evacuation order was given on July 22, the school has hosted around 600 people, most of whom are tourists. Hotel staff who work on the island during the high season are also among those being sheltered.

Despite the difficult conditions people on the island are facing, Kyriakouli is proud of her community’s capacity for solidarity. “Sure, there are protocols. But all the essential things are being done by private [citizen] initiatives,” she says. Almost the entire staff of the school she works in have come to help, from kitchen staff to music teachers. Local restaurants have been cooking meals for free, shops have handed out free clothing, and those with second homes or Airbnbs have opened their doors to stranded tourists.

“There is no individual part to play,” Lecras agrees. “You have to be part of the overall rescue efforts, so that we can fight the flames collectively.”

For Gerakaki, mutual aid is what saved her life. She expresses eternal gratitude to her mother’s friend Joanna, who instructed her to turn her car around and drive to safety the day of the fire.

Although she lives in London now, Gerakaki and Joanna have met a few times since the fire. “I decided to make her my godmother, since I didn’t have any connection to my original godmother anyway,” the young woman says, smiling.

And just as quickly, the memories of that day come flooding back. With a shaky voice, she finishes her sentence: “I don’t even want to think about what would have happened if I hadn’t seen her.”