Greece’s worst wildfire of 2024 hit the outskirts of Athens on Monday, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate while burning trees, houses and cars, Greek officials said.
The Greek government has already asked other EU member states for help, activating the EU civil protection mechanism, and is waiting for help from France, Italy and the Czech Republic with firefighting planes and firefighters. In addition, aid was also provided from Spain, Cyprus and Turkey, government officials said.
More than 700 firefighters supported by volunteers, 190 vehicles and 35 bombers are battling the blaze, which broke out at 3pm on Sunday (1pm Lisbon time) near Varnavas, 35 kilometers north of the capital.
“The situation is very difficult,” said fire department spokesman Vasilis Vatragogiannis. “There are persistent flares that are constantly creating new fires that spread quickly, aided by very strong winds.”
Although summer fires are common in Greece, they are associated with unusually hot and dry weather Climate change According to scientists, this made the events more frequent and intense. “This is a very large fire with very aggressive behavior and multiple fronts. It is very close to the city,” said Costas Lagovartos, director of research at the National Observatory of Athens.
Columns of smoke rose above the horizon and the smell of burning enveloped Athens. As of Monday morning, the fire had spread south and was burning at several fronts, including the village of Grammatiko, the town of Marathon, the coastal municipality of Nea Makri north of Athens, and Mount Penteli.
The fire also affected the municipality of Virilisia, 14 kilometers from the center of the capital. Firefighters said the flames, which threatened apartments, schools and parks, had not entered the urban perimeter of greater Athens in two decades.
No deaths have been reported yet, but 13 people have already been treated by rescue teams and medical teams, and two firefighters have been treated for burns, Vassilis Vatrakogiannis said. More than 30 areas and three hospitals were evacuated. The fire left parts of Greater Athens without power.
“Like Lightning”
On Sunday night, thick clouds of smoke already darkened the skies over Athens. Hours later, the flames approached Dionysos, a residential suburb about 23 km northeast of the city center, and nearby neighborhoods. The fire, which reached 25 meters high, spread “like lightning” due to strong winds, fire spokesman Vassilis Vatrakogiannis said on Sunday.
After an overnight break, firefighting aircraft resumed operations early Monday morning. Police said they helped save at least 250 people. “It hurts, we grew up in this forest. We feel a lot of sadness and anger,” Benteli resident Marina Kalokerakova, 24, told Reuters outside her home, which was almost engulfed in flames.
In the north, at the heart of the fire, firefighters can assess the damage from the fire: abandoned houses and vehicles destroyed by fire, blackened mountains, trees reduced to sticks. “I’ve been building all this for 30 years,” said 81-year-old Vasilis Strubelis, standing in front of the entrance to his damaged home. “Thirty years and wow.”
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited a firefighting center on Monday morning after returning from a holiday break on the island of Crete – still haunted by memories of the 2018 fire that killed 104 people in the coastal town of Matti near the capital.
Since May, hundreds of wildfires have broken out across Greece. After a record-warm winter and long periods of little or no rainfall, Greece is expected to experience its hottest summer ever. The country is on high alert against wildfires until at least Thursday, when temperatures are expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius. Meteorologists have warned of a “very difficult week”.
“Unfortunately, the predictions … were confirmed,” Civil Defense and Climate Crisis Minister Vassilis Kigilias said in a televised statement.
News updated at 6:45 p.m.
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