Firefighters Can't Get a Grip on Blaze Raging Near Athens

Evacuations triggered for suburbs of Greek capital, as blaze rips through dry pine forests
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Aug 12, 2024 7:57 AM CDT
'Exceptionally Dangerous' Fire Rages Near Greek Capital
A car burns north of Athens during a wildfire on Sunday, with many regions of the country on high alert due to high temperatures and wind speeds.   (AP Photo/Michael Varaklas)

A major forest fire was raging out of control on the northern fringes of the Greek capital on Monday, triggering numerous evacuation orders for Athens suburbs and outlying areas as strong winds hampered the efforts of hundreds of firefighters and dozens of water-dropping planes. Authorities were faced with "an exceptionally dangerous fire, which we have been fighting for more than 20 hours under dramatic circumstances," Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said midmorning on Monday. The blaze that began Sunday afternoon was racing through pine forests left tinder-dry by repeated heat waves this summer. June and July of this year were the hottest months ever recorded in Greece, which also recorded its warmest winter ever, per the AP.

The fire was burning mainly on two separate fronts, with some parts in particularly difficult-to-reach areas on a mountain northeast of Athens, Kikilias said. The fire department said 685 firefighters—backed by 27 teams specially trained to tackle wildfires, and including more than 80 armed forces personnel—were battling the flames. A children's hospital, a military hospital, two monasteries, and a children's home were evacuated early Monday, while more than two dozen emergency push alerts were sent to cellphones in the area. Several homes were burned, although the exact number wasn't immediately clear. More evacuation orders were issued for suburbs of the capital as strong winds continued unabated.

Fire department rep Col. Vassileios Vathrakogiannis said authorities had faced more than 40 flare-ups since early Monday in areas where the flames had somewhat abated. Three Athens hospitals were put on heightened alert to treat potential injuries. Paramedics and ambulances provided treatment to two firefighters—one for light burns and the other for breathing problems—while 13 civilians were also treated for breathing problems from the thick smoke, Vathrakogiannis said. Meteorologists and government officials have warned of the heightened danger of wildfires due to weather conditions from Sunday until Thursday, with half of the country placed under a "red alert" for wildfire hazard. More here. (More Greece stories.)

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