Wildfires in Greece’s Mount Parnassus national park

The Mount Parnassus national park has not been spared by the forest fires raging across Greece this summer. Reaching as far as the outskirts of Athens to the south, the fires have burnt nearly 35,000 hectares of forest including rare species of pine and fir trees.

 The SPOT 5 satellite imaged the start of the fire in the western section of the park on 28 June. Carried by strong westerly winds, the smoke plume could be seen as far away as Turkey.

Four days later, the fire is under control. This image acquired on 7 July shows the burn scar left by the fire, extending westward over an area of 15 kilometres.