Greece’s worst wildfire of 2024 swept through the suburbs of Athens on Monday, forcing hundreds of people to flee as trees, homes and cars burned, authorities said.
The Greek government has already requested assistance from other EU member states, activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, and is awaiting help from France, Italy and the Czech Republic with firefighting aircraft and firefighters. In addition, assistance has also been provided from Spain, Cyprus and Turkey, government officials said.
More than 700 firefighters, backed by volunteers, 190 vehicles and 35 bomber aircraft are battling the blaze, which broke out at 3pm (1pm Lisbon time) on Sunday, near Varnavas, 35 kilometres north of the capital.
“The situation is still very difficult,” said Vasilis Vathrakogiannis, a spokesman for the fire department. “There are constant re-ignitions, 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 These phenomena have become more frequent and intense, according to scientists. “It is a very large fire with a very aggressive behaviour and several fronts. It is very close to the city,” said Costas Lagouvardos, research director at the National Observatory of Athens.
Plumes of smoke rose into the sky and the smell of burning blanketed Athens. By Monday morning, the fire had spread south and was burning on several fronts, including the village of Grammatiko, the ancient city of Marathon, the coastal municipality of Nea Makri and Mount Penteli north of Athens.
The fire also reached the municipality of Vrilissia, 14 kilometers from the heart of the capital. Firefighters said the flames, which threaten residential buildings, schools and public parks, had not reached the urban perimeter of Greater Athens for two decades.
No deaths have been reported so far, but rescue and medical teams have already treated 13 people, and two firefighters have been treated for burns, Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said. More than 30 areas have been evacuated, as well as three hospitals. Parts of greater Athens have suffered power outages due to the fire.
like a flash of lightning
Thick clouds of smoke blanketed the skies over Athens on Sunday night. Hours later, the flames approached the residential suburb of Dionysos, about 23 kilometers (14 miles) northeast of the city center, and surrounding neighborhoods. The blaze, with flames reaching 25 meters (80 feet) high, spread “like lightning” due to strong winds, firefighter spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said Sunday.
Firefighting planes resumed operations in the early hours of Monday after a night’s rest. Police said they had helped evacuate at least 250 people in distress. “It’s painful, we grew up in this forest. We feel very sad and angry,” Marina Kalogerakou, a 24-year-old resident of Benteli, told Reuters outside her home, which was almost engulfed in flames.
To the north, at the center of the fire, firefighters can assess the damage: abandoned homes and vehicles gutted by flames, blackened hills, trees reduced to sticks. “I built all this 30 years ago,” said Vassilis Strobilis, 81, standing in front of the entrance to his damaged home. “Thirty years, wow.”
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the fire operations centre on Monday morning after returning from a holiday on the island of Crete – memories still fresh of the 2018 fire that killed 104 people in the coastal town of Mati near the capital.
Since May, hundreds of wildfires have broken out across Greece. After the warmest winter on record and long periods of little or no rainfall, Greece is set to experience its hottest summer on record. The country is on maximum fire alert until at least Thursday, with temperatures expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius. Meteorologists have warned of a “very difficult week.”
“Unfortunately, the forecast has been confirmed,” Civil Protection and Climate Crisis Minister Vassilis Kikilias said in a televised statement.
News updated at 6:45 p.m.
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