Satellite images have revealed the shocking devastation caused by wildfires raging in the Greek island of Chios.
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Copernicus Sentinel-2 captured the image on Monday, showing a thick plume of smoke drifting across the Aegean Sea.
It was released after a state of emergency was declared as hundreds of firefighters battled to contain wildfires that have torn through swathes of forest and farmland.
But the wildfires, which forced hundreds of villagers and tourists to evacuate amid 39C (100F) heat, have now been fully contained.
🔥 #EMSR806 - Wildfires on #Chios Island 🇬🇷
— Copernicus EMS (@CopernicusEMS) June 24, 2025
The Greek island has declared a state of emergency after major wildfires broke out. Our #MappingTeam spotted 28 active fires across a front of 0.9 km, and a total burnt area of 2,221.5 ha in the #AOI.
🔗 https://t.co/OdjhLAtIfO pic.twitter.com/hR3sjqJDy1
"After three days of unimaginable ordeals, Chios woke up today without an active fire front," news site Politischios wrote on Wednesday morning.
More than 400 firefighters assisted by 14 helicopters and four aircraft were deployed to several locations in Chios, which is home to around 50,000 people.
Water bombs were dropped on bushes and firefighters doused olive trees beside the roads, Reuters reports.
"The situation is very difficult, there are a lot of open fronts and a lot of villages," said volunteer Antonis Mikoudis. "We left our jobs (to come here). We believe we will manage to do something.”
Ioannis Psilos, another volunteer, added: "The images were terrifying. But thank God everything will be ok and the fire will not progress more towards the south of Chios."
According to the regional governor, 6,200 hectares have fallen victim to the flames, which corresponds to around 7 per cent of the island's total area.
The fires have also caused significant disruption, including power cuts, water shortages and property damage.
Chios’ fire department has reportedly sent an arson investigation team to examine the cause of the blaze.
Like many countries in the Mediterranean, holiday hotspots such as Greece are often hit by wildfires during its hot and dry summers.
However, scientists have blamed global warming for fuelling more destructive blazes in recent years.
The risk of forest fires remains high in other parts of the country, according to the Greek Civil Defense.
Athens, Greece’s capital, has paid out hundreds of millions of euros in support to households hit by extreme weather and to update firefighting equipment.
