Greece Major fire near Athens rages on - villages evacuated
The Greek fire department has not been able to stop the major fire that has been raging on the northern outskirts of Athens since Sunday afternoon. The residents of twelve villages were called upon by text message to leave their homes in the region around Marathon and Penteli, a spokesperson for the fire department told Greek radio. "At dawn, we will deploy 29 fire-fighting aircraft and helicopters," he said. Penteli is around 15 kilometers, Marathon around 30 kilometers north of the Greek capital. According to Greek media, numerous people were taken to hospitals with respiratory problems, according to the emergency services. Two hospitals also had to be evacuated, according to the government.
12.08.2024, 07:46
SDA
Thick clouds of smoke over Athens
Due to the heavy smoke, a dense gray-brown cloud lay over Athens for hours. The plumes of smoke stretched over more than 100 kilometers and reached the Peloponnese peninsula, as residents reported and satellite images showed.
According to the civil defense, the region around Athens and large parts of central Greece are at the highest fire risk level. The situation will remain extremely dangerous in the coming days, according to the civil defense. It has not rained properly in most regions of Greece for months.
Head of government Mitsotakis interrupts vacation
According to the authorities, the government opened the facilities of the Olympic Stadium in the north of Athens and other sports halls for people fleeing the flames. Hotels also made rooms available, according to the hoteliers' association. Tourist facilities have not yet been threatened, according to local reporters. Numerous residents reportedly stayed in their homes and fought the flames with garden hoses.
Due to the dramatic developments, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis interrupted his vacation and returned to Athens, according to a government spokesman. According to the media, numerous fire department units from southern and western Greece arrived in Athens during the night.
Drought and winds can cause major fires
Meteorologists and civil defense had repeatedly warned in the past few days: Due to the extreme drought and the strong winds currently blowing around the Aegean, any small fire could spread to a large fire within minutes.
