Several tourist facilities are in the process of being evacuated after a forest fire broke out southeast of Greece’s capital Athens on Monday.
The fire started in Kouvaras, which is about 50 kilometers southeast of Athens.
– The conditions are demanding, the wind is very strong with gusts of up to 16 meters per second, says Yannis Artopios, spokesman for the local fire service.
He states that several resorts along the coast are being evacuated to be on the safe side.
HAVE TO FLEE: Tourists at several hotels are asked to leave as a result of forest fires. Photo: EPA/NTB Show more
– Has flared up again
Borgar Tessem is on holiday with his family in Corinth, around eight miles south-west of Athens. On Monday, the vegetation here is burning heavily.
– The flames were as high as several storey buildings. There is no doubt that this is a high-energy fire, says Tessem to Dagbladet.
He says that he has received several evacuation alerts on the phone, as a result of forest fires in the immediate area. The fire is said to have started a few kilometers from where he was earlier today.
– We went back to the house then, and then the danger warning did not apply to us. The wind has been blowing in the same direction all along, so it is undramatic where we are now.
WAS ALERT: Tessem received two emergency alerts on his phone from the local authorities. Photo: Borgar Tessem Show more
Tessem praises the efforts of local firefighters, saying they heard sirens shortly after they first saw the smoke.
While Dagbladet is talking to the Trønder, he says that a military helicopter with extinguishing equipment is hanging in the air above the holiday home he is in, since the fire has flared up again.
– The sky has been constantly blue while we have been down here, but now it looks like a Norwegian cloudy day on the horizon.
Tessem was first interviewed by VG.
EXTREME HEAT: Tourists seek shade under an umbrella at the world-famous Acropolis in Athens. Photo: AP Show more
Hit by a heat wave
Heat waves with constantly new records have in recent days affected large areas in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the USA. In many places it will be even warmer in the coming days.
Greece is one of the countries currently affected by a heat wave with temperatures of up to 44 degrees in central parts of the country.
In Athens, the Acropolis was closed for the third day in a row at midday on Sunday to spare the tourists. On Monday, slightly cooler weather is expected – below 40 degrees – before it gets hotter again from Wednesday.
“Extreme” warnings
Urges to follow the authorities’ advice
Due to the dry landscape and high temperatures, Greece is prone to forest fires. These fires occur especially in the summer months, and the danger increases if there is strong wind.
– Norwegian citizens are encouraged to follow instructions and advice from local authorities. The Greek authorities are sending a mobile phone alert to those in the affected areas, says communications adviser in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mariken Harbitz, to Dagbladet.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has so far not been contacted by Norwegians in the area.
– There are around 450 Norwegian citizens registered in Reiseregistrering.no for Greece this week. It is voluntary to register and we therefore do not have exact figures on how many Norwegian citizens are in the country, says Harbitz.
2023-07-17 15:21:58
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