The huge fire that broke out in Greece and is threatening its capital, Athens, has already claimed one fatal victim. One person died in the flames on the outskirts of Athens. The body, of a woman in her sixties, was found inside a factory in Patima Halandriou, north of the capital, according to firefighter sources.
This tragic fact was confirmed later thousands of people have been evacuated after firefighters alerted residents of homes, businesses and schools.
The massive fire has been raging uncontrollably since Monday as strong winds thwart the efforts of hundreds of firefighters and dozens of planes dropping water, AP reports.
Given the massive and rapid fire it caused flames that sometimes reached more than 25 meters high, Greece has asked for and received the help of other countries in activating the European Mutual Civil Protection Mechanism.
The fire, which broke out on Sunday afternoon about 35 kilometers northeast of Athens, destroyed homes and businesses and spread a blanket of smoke and ash over the center of the Greek capital. Power cuts caused damage in some parts of the city and to traffic lights at major intersections in the center.
Authorities said that in addition to the fatal victim, 15 people were injuredmainly due to smoke inhalation, as the fire reached the outskirts of a suburb about 15 kilometers from the city center. The National Observatory of Greece said Monday evening that satellite images showed the fire had affected about 10,000 hectares.
Help from other countries
France sends a helicopter Italy provide two water drainage levels and the Czech Republic to assign 75 firefighters and 25 vehicles, according to the authorities, while Serbia and Romania They were also preparing aid. The nearby Ministry of Foreign Affairs Turkey announced that the country would send two firefighting planes and a helicopter. Spain was also finalizing reinforcements to Greece.
The fire was advancing rapidly through the dry pine forests after successive heat waves this summer, after a particularly dry winter. The months of June and July were the warmest on record in Greece, which also had the warmest winter on record.
The early start of the fire season this year has put a strain on the country’s firefighters.
“Firefighters have been working flat out for months,” said Nikos Lavranos, head of Greece’s main firefighters’ union. “They are exhausted.”
Authorities are facing «an exceptionally dangerous fire, which we have been fighting for more than 20 hours in dramatic circumstances,» said Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias. According to Kikilias, the fire was mainly advancing on two fronts, with some areas particularly difficult to access on a mountain northeast of Athens.
By Monday afternoon, three hospitals – including a pediatric one –, two monasteries and a center for minors had been evacuated. At least 30 emergency evacuation notices have been sent to cell phones of area residents. Several homes burned, although the exact number was initially unclear.
«The wind was blowing one way and then another. The smoke was suffocating. You couldn’t see. Your eyes were full of tears. You couldn’t breathe. You couldn’t see the house,» said Spyros Gorilas, a Dioni resident who sprayed his house with water to save it from the flames. «You couldn’t even see the helicopter dropping the water. You could only hear it. Nothing more.»
Evacuation of the suburbs of Athens
Authorities have issued additional evacuation orders in the capital’s suburbs due to persistent strong winds. The fire has flared up more than 40 times since early Monday morning in areas where it had somewhat calmed down, according to Colonel Vassileios Vathrakogiannis, a spokesman for the fire department.
A visualization of more than 700 firefighters and 27 teams of troops According to firefighters, more than 80 members of the armed forces specially trained to fight forest fires were tackling the blaze. More than 190 vehicles were involved in the operation, while 17 planes and 16 water helicopters provided air support.
Three hospitals in the capital were on standby to treat possible injuries. Ambulances and paramedics treated two firefighters, one for minor burns and another for breathing problems, while 13 other civilians were treated for breathing problems due to thick smoke, Vathrakogiannis said.
The Greek Coast Guard ordered all ferries to and from the nearby port of Rafina, which mainly serves the Cyclades islands and Crete, to be diverted to the port of Lavrion due to the fire. Authorities in nearby towns opened at least one sports center and offered hotel rooms to evacuees.
Firefighters appealed to residents to follow evacuation orders, and officials said some people who refused to leave their homes were trapped and had to be rescued, putting the lives of firefighters in danger.
In 2018, a massive fire ravaged the coastal town of Mati, east of Athens, trapping people in their homes and on the streets as they tried to escape in cars. More than 100 people died, including some who drowned while trying to swim away from the flames.
More than 20 people died in fires in Greece last year, including 18 migrants who were caught in a fire while crossing a forest in northeastern Greece, in a huge blaze that lasted more than two weeks