Salamina wildfire leaves two dead and a trail of ruin as residents return

Residents of the Greek island of Salamina are confronting the scale of destruction left by a fast-moving wildfire that tore through the area on Monday. The blaze claimed two lives and left nine others injured, while reducing several homes and vehicles to charred shells.

Drone footage over the affected area reveals a landscape scorched black, with burned-out cars and the skeletal remains of houses dotting the hillside. On the ground, people wearing protective masks sift through the debris outside their homes, while one man methodically douses smouldering remnants with a hose.

Local resident Eliza Mykoniati described the emotional toll of the disaster. "We are living a tragedy," she said. "We lost two people from the neighbourhood. We have been neighbours here for years. Two houses of very dear friends were burned. We are all a family here. But we had these losses. And basically we lost nature. We lost the natural environment, which is what made us come and stay here."

Greek Red Cross social workers have moved into the area to provide support. Andreas Vagiopoulos, a social worker with the organisation, noted the scale of the need. "There is massive destruction," he said. "There are people who greatly need our support, for us to provide psychosocial support, first aid for their physical health, for their mental health, information primarily about what they must do after the fire, in the days that follow."

As fire trucks pass through the streets, the immediate task of clearing debris and assessing damage has begun, even as the community grapples with the loss of life and the altered landscape around them.