Summary
- Eight Greek photojournalists published Instagram images from the August 2026 wildfires.
- The feature brings together work from Western Attica, Porto Germeno, Halkidiki and Salamina.
- The photographic series document active fire fronts, evacuations, people and the aftermath.
Eight Greek photojournalists published Instagram images from the August 2026 wildfires, creating a visual record of active fire fronts, evacuations and the aftermath.
From Porto Germeno and Western Attica to Siviri in Halkidiki and Salamina, the wildfires of recent weeks brought photojournalists close to the fire fronts and, above all, to the people affected. Two people died in Salamina and more than 500 were evacuated, while more than 300 people were evacuated by boat from Siviri.
The photographic series document different sides of the same disaster: firefighting operations, evacuations, residents, burned property and landscapes after the active fire front has receded.
Salamina: People and Property After the Fire
The August 16 wildfire on Salamina killed an elderly couple, injured several people and caused significant damage to homes. The coast guard reported that more than 500 people were evacuated from the island.
Stelios Misinas (@steliosmisinas) documented the consequences of the wildfire within the residential area of Peristeria, Salamina. His series includes people surrounded by burned homes, vehicles and land, recording the condition of the area after the fire front passed.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DcHS6DSjuHH/
Romanos Lioutas (@romanos.l) also worked in the same area. His post from Peristeria documents homes and local businesses affected by the wildfire, showing the destruction from within the settlement itself.
https://www.instagram.com/romanos.l/p/DcHZTRyswN_/
Porto Germeno and Western Attica: Different Stages of the Same Disaster
The major wildfire west of Athens burned for five days in early August. More than 1,000 people were evacuated from the wider region, including more than 250 rescued by boat from beaches around Porto Germeno and other coastal areas.
Petros Giannakouris (@petrosgiannakouris) published a photographic series from the final days of the Porto Germeno wildfire on August 3 and 4. His images document both the continuing operation and the destruction the fire had already left behind.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbsh_PQjEAl/
Tatiana Bolari (@tatianabolari) created successive photographic series from the wildfires in Attica and Boeotia. In “Image 2,” she turns her camera towards the following day, continuing the photographic record after the active fire front had passed.
https://www.instagram.com/tatianabolari/p/Dbqx5FeiG1q/
Nikos Razis (@nikosraz) documented the major Western Attica wildfire on August 2. His series records the difficult conditions faced by firefighters as strong winds complicated efforts to control the blaze.
https://www.instagram.com/nikosraz/p/DbjQQ65COHh/
Halkidiki: Evacuations by Land and Sea
On August 13, Siviri in Halkidiki faced a fast-moving wildfire. More than 300 people were evacuated by boat, while more than 140 firefighters, nine aircraft and seven helicopters were deployed.
Giannis Papanikos (@giannispapanikos) published a photographic series from Siviri on August 13, documenting the wildfire as it unfolded in one of Halkidiki’s busy tourist destinations in the middle of August.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DcBMB86ADs7/
Alexandros Avramidis (@al_avramidis) documented the area on August 14 after the active front had receded. His work shows burned forest near Siviri and the mark left by the wildfire on the natural landscape.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DcBfJd-DCXW/
Konstantinos Tsakalidis (@tsakalidis_k) also worked at the same wildfire. One of his images shows a firefighting helicopter operating above burned forest in Siviri on August 13, bringing the firefighting operation and the scale of the damage into the same frame.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DcA9bE6jsd0/
Photojournalism Does Not End When the Fire Front Recedes
These series demonstrate why photographic coverage of a wildfire continues beyond the hours of immediate firefighting.
In Salamina, the cameras move through affected residential areas. In Western Attica, photographs record different days of the same wildfire. In Halkidiki, the work covers both firefighting and evacuations as well as the burned landscape of the following day.
Together, these posts function as a visual chronicle: they show how an event develops, who is caught within it and what remains when firefighters eventually manage to contain the fire front.
Konstantinos Tsakalidis and Evia in 2021
Konstantinos Tsakalidis’ presence at this year’s Halkidiki wildfire also connects with one of the most recognised photographs from the devastating 2021 Evia wildfires.
On August 8, 2021, he photographed Panayiota Kritsiopi in Gouves as a wildfire approached her home. “Evia Island Wildfire” became the Europe regional winner in the Singles category of the 2022 World Press Photo Contest.
Five years later, the same photojournalist is again documenting a major Greek wildfire, this time in Halkidiki. That continuity also demonstrates the importance of long-term photojournalistic documentation of events that return with different intensity and in different parts of the country.
What We Think
The photographs by these eight photojournalists form something more than a collection of individual Instagram posts. Together they create a visual chronicle of a difficult August, from firefighting and evacuations to the return to burned areas.
The strength of photojournalism lies precisely in this continuity: documenting people, rescue operations, property and landscapes before, during and after the disaster.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which photojournalists are included in the feature?
The feature includes Stelios Misinas, Romanos Lioutas, Petros Giannakouris, Tatiana Bolari, Nikos Razis, Giannis Papanikos, Alexandros Avramidis and Konstantinos Tsakalidis.
Which wildfires do the photographs document?
The selected posts mainly come from Western Attica and Porto Germeno in early August, Siviri in Halkidiki on August 13 and 14, and Salamina on August 16, 2026.
Do all the photographs document active fire fronts?
No. Part of the work focuses on the following day, with burned homes, forests and the consequences of the wildfire becoming the main subject.
