30,000 brought to safety Major fire north of Athens - city of Marathon evacuated
A helicopter drops water during a forest fire near the village of Varnava. Many regions of the country are on high alert due to the high temperatures and wind speeds.
Image: Michael Varaklas/AP/dpa
A car burns during a forest fire in the village of Varnava.
Image: Michael Varaklas/AP/dpa
"The flames are rising more than 25 meters high."
Image: dpa
"It's going to be a long night."
Image: dpa
A helicopter drops water during a forest fire near the village of Varnava. Many regions of the country are on high alert due to the high temperatures and wind speeds.
Image: Michael Varaklas/AP/dpa
A car burns during a forest fire in the village of Varnava.
Image: Michael Varaklas/AP/dpa
"The flames are rising more than 25 meters high."
Image: dpa
"It's going to be a long night."
Image: dpa
The flames rise 25 meters high. Villages are evacuated and houses destroyed. A major fire is raging north of the Greek capital. The city of Marathon has already had to be evacuated.
11.08.2024, 23:03
11.08.2024, 23:11
dpa
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- A major fire has broken out north of Athens in Greece.
- The entire historic city of Marathon had to be evacuated.
- The fire department announced that the more than 30,000 inhabitants of the town had been taken to the village of Nea Makri by the sea.
- A spokesman for the fire department told Greek radio: "The flames are rising more than 25 meters high."
- Numerous people suffered smoke inhalation and were taken to hospitals, Greek media reported.
A major fire is raging north of Athens. Clouds of smoke rose and reached the Greek capital, which lies around 30 kilometers to the south. Several villages and towns in the Varnavas and Marathon area were evacuated. Accompanied by fire engines and the police, hundreds of residents were brought to safety, as shown on Greek television.
The Greek authorities have also ordered the evacuation of the threatened historic town of Marathon near Athens. The fire department announced that the town's more than 30,000 inhabitants had been taken to the seaside village of Nea Makri.
A spokesman for the fire department said on Greek radio: "The flames are rising more than 25 meters high." Shortly before sunset, 15 fire-fighting planes and 11 helicopters were in action, the fire department said. "It's going to be a long night," a fire department officer told reporters at the scene. Several hundred firefighters and numerous volunteers were deployed, he said.
Many smoke inhalations
Numerous people suffered smoke inhalation and were taken to hospital, Greek media reported. It was initially unclear how many houses were destroyed or damaged. Television reporters reported that they had seen dozens of houses burning brightly. In some cases, disputes broke out between residents and the police. Many people refused to leave their homes despite the approaching flames and tried to save their belongings with garden hoses. Tourist facilities were not initially threatened, according to reports.
Meteorologists and the civil defense had repeatedly warned over the weekend that due to the extreme drought and the current strong winds around the Aegean, the smallest fire could turn into a major blaze within minutes. It initially remained unclear how this fire broke out. The Civil Defense published a map showing that 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.