Forests are burning in the Attica region, the Greek capital.
Photo: REUTERS.
The images from Athens are terrifying: the fire is approaching the city, the sky is clouded with smoke. Forests are burning in the region of Attica, the Greek capital. Residents of eleven settlements, hospitals and monks from two monasteries – Pentelis and St. Ephrem – have been evacuated. The strong winds have thwarted the efforts of firefighters, although 500 people, 17 planes and 15 helicopters were involved in the extinguishing work.
The fires were caused by the intense heat. The Balkan Peninsula has been experiencing dry and hot weather, with temperatures above +35°C.
The strong winds hampered the efforts of the firefighters, although 500 people, 17 planes and 15 helicopters were involved in the extinguishing work.
Photo: REUTERS.
A fire broke out yesterday in a suburb of Athens, near the city of Varnavas. In the afternoon it approached the suburb of Dionysos, a few dozen kilometres from the centre of the Greek capital. More than 500 firefighters and 152 special teams were involved in extinguishing the fire.
Firefighters had managed to control 30 fires the day before, but within a day the flames began to spread with renewed vigor. Hundreds of cars and residential buildings were set alight.
On Monday morning, the fire moved northeast of Athens, reaching the village of Grammatiko (population 1,500), the ancient city of Marathon (population 7,000), the coastal town of Nea Makri (population 15,000) and Mount Pendelikon, 16 kilometers from the capital city. Rescuers are evacuating local residents and patients from three hospitals. People are housed at the Athens Olympic Stadium.
The fires were caused by the intense heat. The Balkan Peninsula has experienced dry and hot weather, with temperatures above +35°C.
Photo: REUTERS.
“Half of Greece will be in the red zone for fire danger,” warned the Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Vassilis Kikilias, adding that the forecasts of meteorologists are pessimistic. The whole next week will be “difficult and dangerous.” The temperature will rise to forty degrees. The heat will be accompanied by strong winds.
Although wildfires are common in Greece in summer (104 people died in a blaze that swept through the suburbs of Athens in 2018), climatologists report unusually hot and dry weather this year. The situation was aggravated by an abnormally warm winter.
