Chios on fire: one photographer’s view of a growing health threat

The sky reddened by fire behind the rooftops of Vrontados, a small town on Chios.

“The sound of a wildfire is terrifying – you often hear it before you see it,” says photojournalist Dimitris Tosidis. “The noise tells you it’s getting closer, even if the fire is at a distance. That’s when you really understand its threat.”

In June, Tosidis was on an assignment on Chios, a remote island consisting mainly of bush and pasture, 7–10 hours by boat from the Greek mainland.

He hadn’t planned to photograph wildfires, but when he heard that several had broken out, he went straight to the scene. As a photojournalist, Tosidis has documented wildfires before, but he says that each one is a reminder of their devastating impact – not only on the environment but also on people’s health.

On Chios, he witnessed once again how quickly the smoke, heat and fear caused by wildfires can overwhelm a community.

A forested hillside on fire in Vrontados. Many locals were volunteering to tackle the flames to try to protect some older people who had not evacuated.

Greece, like other countries in Europe this summer, has been experiencing extreme heat, creating conditions that exacerbate wildfires. The wildfires that broke out on Chios on 22 June spread rapidly, burning over 4000 hectares of forest and agricultural land – an area the size of more than 10 000 football fields.

On the first day, approximately 190 firefighters and 35 vehicles were deployed, supported by 5 helicopters and 2 aircraft. By the third day, firefighting reinforcements were deployed from across Greece and the number of emergency responders increased to 444 firefighters with 85 vehicles, while aerial support included 11 helicopters and 2 water-dropping aircraft.

On 25 June Greek authorities declared a state of emergency and issued multiple evacuation orders for Chios as flames tore through forest and agricultural land on the island.

Up to 20 settlements were evacuated, with damage to homes, vehicles and infrastructure. Three residences were completely destroyed.

Smoke darkens the sky as a fire rips through scrub.

According to Greek authorities, arson is being investigated as a possible cause of the wildfires in Chios. Yet Tosidis believes that because of climate change, wildfires are taking hold earlier in the year, lasting longer and turning into infernos more quickly.

“My own experience of helping to tackle fires in my home community of Thessaloniki gives me the biggest motivation to document what we call climate change,” he says. 

“When you are getting close to a fire, the most important thing to understand is that the wind can change; you then get smoke and you can’t breathe. You must be upwind of the fire. Usually, I have protective equipment – a suit and a mask with ventilation and filters – but because I was not expecting to cover these fires, I didn’t have any of that with me.”

On the island of Chios, residents do their best to hold back a wildfire inching toward their homes as they wait for firefighters to arrive.

“When I arrived at this property, its residents were trying to put out the early stages of a fire on their land by whatever means possible. I said to them, ‘The way the wind is blowing, the fire will reach your property in about 40 minutes.’”

Smoke inhalation is a major risk near forest fires: “When people are protecting their properties they don’t think of it,” says Tosidis. “They don’t think of the impact to their health that could come later.”

Fire reaches the outer walls of a home, and the owner tries to assist a firefighter.

“As the fire reached the house, for about 10 minutes there was chaos,” says Tosidis. He and his colleague put down their cameras to help tackle the blaze.

“I think I was more worried than the owners, although they had previous experience of a wildfire near their property. When it comes, fire can move so quickly.”

With several fires burning simultaneously across the island, it took some time before firefighters arrived. When they did, with the help of the residents, they succeeded in saving this property and the neighbourhood.

Firefighters drop water from a plane to douse the flames.

“I was very impressed by the level of preparation and organization of the people in Chios,” says Tosidis. “They had already formed volunteering groups; they had equipment and had water ready to put out fires.”

Since the island is so remote, and some places are difficult to access, communities are often the first responders. “People came to help from villages on the other side of the island, where there was no danger. I think this teamwork and community preparation was the reason why there was not more extensive damage.”

A volunteer carries a hose to firefighters near the town of Chios, the largest settlement on the island.

“For professional photographers, the most important thing is to try to deliver the truth,” says Tosidis. “It's not filtered; it's not people on social media trying to look more beautiful than they are. It's disasters. It's real life.”

He adds, “A single image can make you stop and reflect. If it tells a story, you stop there and you spend time thinking and noticing what is going on in the frame.”

Tosidis describes the “horrifying” experience of seeing wildfires approach your forest, house, village or city. “It’s the least I can do to document them. I’m a big believer in the phrase, ‘Act local, think global’. Change begins with your neighbourhood, with your home, and maybe that’s a way to make our world better.”

WHO/Europe is deeply concerned about the growing physical and mental health impacts of wildfires, which are becoming more frequent and severe across the WHO European Region. To help protect people’s health and help communities stay safe when wildfires strike, WHO/Europe advises people to:

• stay informed: listen to local authorities and follow evacuation orders if needed;
• reduce smoke exposure: keep windows and doors closed, and use air purifiers if you have them;
• check on others: children, older adults, pregnant women and people with health problems are most at risk – keep in touch and help where you can;
• use a proper mask: if you need to go outside, wear a well fitting mask to help filter out harmful smoke particles; and
• get medical help if needed: if you or your loved ones have trouble breathing, chest pain or a bad cough, seek medical care straight away.

With the climate crisis turning into a public health emergency, we must stand together to keep people safe and protect the most vulnerable.