2024-08-12 20:04:39
Prime Minister Mitsotakis cut short his vacation because of the critical situation
A fiery inferno engulfed the outskirts of Athens, with several hospitals and a number of towns and villages evacuated.
On Monday, the flames in our southern neighbor quickly spread due to the strong wind and burned houses, trees and cars in their path. The Greek fire services indicate that despite
“over-
human”
efforts through
all night
the forest fire, which reaches a height of 25 m, has moved “like lightning”, as the winds constantly change their direction. Since Saturday, a total of 40 fires have broken out on Greek territory – most of them have been brought under control, but firefighters are trying to put out seven more. Civil Defense Minister Vassilis Kikilias announced that at least 685 firefighters, 27 forest teams, 183 vehicles, as well as 16 firefighting planes and 17 helicopters are involved in the fight. Kikilias warned that winds are expected to remain very strong in the coming days. However, he was adamant that “we will continue with all our strength until the last outbreak is extinguished”.
Among the most affected cities is Varnavas, which is located northeast of Athens. “All the forests have been destroyed. We don’t know what’s next, when or if the fire will end,” a local resident told the BBC. He specifies that the front of the flames is large – over 25 km. “The entire territory that is burning here was olive trees, an agricultural area” – says another resident of the city and sadly adds:
– Everyone here has
olive
groves or vines
and they are burned
everything is destroyed.”
“Our whole city is engulfed in flames,” said Stergios Tsirkas, mayor of the historic city of Marathon, which was also badly hit. A number of homes were burned to the ground, and all 7,000 residents of Marathon were moved to safety. At least two hospitals in the city were also evacuated.
“We are standing
before biblical
a catastrophe”, commented Tsirkas. The country’s civil defense has declared a state of emergency for Penteli, Melisia, Politeia, Ekali, Drafi, Dioni and Nea Eretria.
Because of the critical situation, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cut short his summer vacation in Crete to return to Athens.
“The fire is uncontrollable and extremely aggressive. It is constantly changing its direction and this creates problems for both the ground forces and the air forces,” explained Nikolaos Lavranos, head of the Federation of Fire Service Employees. Greece is particularly vulnerable to fires after experiencing its warmest winter on record, as well as long periods without rainfall. A high alert is in place until at least Thursday, with temperatures expected to reach 40C.