Greek authorities have found a charred body at the headquarters of a company in the urban area of Vrilisia, north of Athens, which was razed by the flames of a large fire that has been brought under control although the authorities are still unable to let down their guard.
Initial reports from investigators suggest that the victim may be a 60-year-old woman, owner of the company where her body was found, “although this has not yet been confirmed due to the (poor) condition in which the body was found,” a Fire Department spokeswoman explained to EFE.
The situation regarding the spread of the flames has improved considerably on Tuesday, as there is no longer talk of one active front, but of hundreds of smaller and scattered outbreaks.
More than 700 firefighters with 200 trucks, six planes and an equal number of tanker helicopters are still operating in the area today to prevent strong gusts of wind from rekindling the flames.
The fire, which broke out on Sunday in the town of Varnava, some 40 kilometres north of Athens, and spread rapidly southwards to the urban fabric of the capital, forced the evacuation of more than 50,000 people and burned more than 10,000 hectares.
The images broadcast by the Greek press are devastating and show vast areas of completely burned forests, as well as dozens of houses, businesses and cars.
Reinforcements from France, Italy, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Romania, activated through the European Union Civil Protection Service, are expected to arrive on Tuesday, the daily Efsyn reports.
According to the newsit.gr website, more than 30 people had to be taken to hospital with respiratory problems.
One firefighter was hospitalized “with serious burns to his feet and hands” and another suffered minor burns, the fire department said.
Three hospitals – one for children with 24 children, one for the military and a third with 23 patients – and several children’s camps have had to be evacuated from the Penteli area.
Although fires on the outskirts of Athens are very frequent during the summer, this is the first time that a fire has reached so close to the centre of the capital and affected the urban fabric of the city.
While current temperatures are more or less normal for the season, two extreme heat waves that hit the country in June and July, with temperatures exceeding 44 degrees Celsius in some regions, have dried out vegetation, increasing the risk of fires.
Greece also suffered a fateful summer last year, when dozens of fires burned a record 160,000 hectares (1.21% of its territory), while 28 people lost their lives in the flames.
