Smoke from the wildfire that broke out yesterday in Paros appears to have affected several islands of the Cyclades, as well as parts of northern Crete.

According to AtmoHub, Greece’s atmospheric composition information hub, simulations show that the smoke plume was carried by prevailing winds, affecting areas of Paros, the wider Cyclades region, and parts of northern Crete.

A video published by AtmoHub on Facebook shows a simulation of the smoke dispersion from the wildfire, calculated by the pilot AtmoHub service using satellite observations and numerical smoke transport models.

Earlier, the National Observatory of Athens’ meteo.gr also provided an initial estimate of the extent of the area affected by the major wildfire in Paros.

According to an analysis of thermal hotspots detected by polar-orbiting satellites over the past 24 hours, the wildfire is estimated to have spread across an area of approximately 10,000 stremmas (1,000 hectares). Scientists, however, clarified that this figure does not correspond to the final burned area.

More specifically, the data map shows the thermal hotspots detected by the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instrument aboard the polar-orbiting satellites SUOMI, NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 over the past 24 hours, alongside wind gust data recorded on Wednesday, July 29, until 11:00, from the network of automatic weather stations operated by the National Observatory of Athens and meteo.gr.

Based on the spatial distribution of the detected hotspots, the affected area is estimated at around 10,000 stremmas.

It is noted that these figures do not represent estimates of burned land, but rather the areas where wildfire activity has spread. To determine the exact burned area, scientists are awaiting the collection and processing of higher-resolution satellite data, which will provide a more accurate picture of the extent of the damage and identify any unburned sections within the affected zones.