The worst forest fire of the year in Greece has claimed one life, as the flames continued to burn on the outskirts of Athens on Tuesday. The situation has improved considerably in recent hours, as the winds have become milder and the efforts of firefighters have helped to reduce the intensity of the fire. Authorities are no longer talking about one active front, but rather hundreds of smaller and scattered outbreaks. Greece has activated the EU Civil Protection Service and is already receiving help from several EU countries.
The body of the victim was found inside a factory engulfed by flames, located in the urban area of Vrilisia, 14 kilometres north of the centre of the capital. The victim was a 64-year-old woman who worked in a flower shop, according to local media. Firefighters also reported that several people were injured while trying to put out the flames. One of them had to be hospitalised for “serious burns to the feet and hands”. Another thirty people were treated for smoke inhalation.
“40 hours after the extremely dangerous forest fire in Varnava broke out, we can now say that there is no active front, only scattered outbreaks,” said the Greek Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Vassilis Kikilias. “Volunteers, police, army, forest service and forest workers, the authority of the Attica region and municipalities, with the help of the 112 emergency service, evacuated and saved 45 areas,” he added.
Winds are expected to pick up again in the coming hours, so the country will remain on high alert at least until Thursday, with temperatures expected to reach 40 degrees.
A bouquet of flowers is placed inside a factory where a woman died. Michael Varaklas (AP/ LaPresse)
Hundreds of firefighters, supported by trucks and water tankers, continued to battle the blaze that broke out on Sunday in the town of Varnava, north of Athens. The fire has spread to within a few kilometres of the outskirts of the Greek capital, which has been covered in smoke and ash since the weekend. The fire has burned homes, vehicles and more than 10,000 hectares. According to the local newspaper Proto Thema, more than 100 homes have been affected. In addition, more than 50,000 people have had to be evacuated, many of whom had to spend the night in shelters.
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“My house was completely destroyed, even the walls fell down. There is nothing left,” Sakis Morfis, 70, a resident of Vrilisia, told Reuters. “There is nothing left. There is no morality, no courage, no money anymore, everything was destroyed… The only thing I cared about was saving my dogs, so I left everything.” [lo demás] back”.
Faced with this situation, the Greek government activated the civil protection mechanism on Monday, and countries such as Italy, France and the Czech Republic announced that they would send firefighters to deal with the fire. “We are on the side of Greece in its fight against the devastating fires. The EU is sending support from its fleet: two planes from Italy and a helicopter from France. Firefighting teams from the Czech Republic and Romania have also been deployed,” he said. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyenon social media. In addition, Brussels announced on Tuesday that it was expanding its support with a helicopter from Serbia and the deployment of teams from that country, Italy and France. Spain and Turkey have also offered help.
The Greek government announced on Tuesday that it would provide initial aid of between 5,000 and 10,000 euros to the owners of houses that were partially or completely burned, and another of between 2,000 and 4,000 euros to the owners of affected businesses. Minister Kikilias defended the authorities’ management, pointing out that “the response time after the fire broke out on Sunday was about five minutes by air and seven minutes by fire trucks.” In response to criticism from the opposition, which accuses the government of not having been prepared to protect the capital from the flames, Kikilias stressed that in this case there were very adverse weather conditions and that “it was not simply a case of a fire that got out of hand.”
Although fires on the outskirts of Athens are common 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. While the current temperatures are typical for this time of year, the two extreme heat waves that hit the country in June and July – with temperatures exceeding 44 degrees in some regions – dried out vegetation and increased the risk of a large fire.
Last year, Greece also suffered a harsh summer during which dozens of fires burned a record 160,000 hectares (1.21% of its territory), while 28 people lost their lives in the flames.
A woman is comforted in front of her house that was burned down by fire in Ano Patima, near Penteli, north of Athens. Socrates Baltagiannis (dpa/Picture Alliance/Getty)Volunteers use hoses on the fire in Ano Patima, north of Athens, on Monday.Socrates Baltagiannis (dpa/Europa Press)Detail of the bathroom of a burned house, after the forest fire in the Halandri neighborhood in Athens, this Tuesday.Stelios Misinas (REUTERS)A house burns due to the forest fire in Nea Penteli, near Athens, on Monday.Elias Marcou (REUTERS)Firefighters try to extinguish the forest fire in Patima Halandri, a suburb of Athens (Greece), on Tuesday.GEORGE VITSARAS (EFE)A high school building and its gymnasium are seen on fire as a forest fire burns in Nea Penteli, on Tuesday.Alexandros Avramidis (REUTERS)A firefighter participates in the extinction efforts in Penteli, on Monday.GEORGE VITSARAS (EFE)A woman cries after a forest fire in Nea Penteli, on Tuesday. being rescued in Varnava on Sunday. Costas Baltas (Anadolu/Getty Images) A house burns during a wildfire in the town of Varnava, north of Athens, on Sunday. Costas Baltas (Anadolu/Getty Images) A man leaves his home as a wildfire approaches in Dione, Monday. Costas Balta (Anadolu/Getty Images) Firefighters spray water to put out a fire in the town of Nea Penteli, near Athens, Tuesday. Costas Baltas (Anadolu/Getty Images) The Parthenon temple on the top of the Acropolis hill in Athens is seen with smoke from the massive wildfire in Varnava, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) away, on Monday. Costas Baltas (Anadolu/Getty Images) Residents of Penteli watch as flames approach homes on Monday. GEORGE VITSARAS (EFE)Volunteers try to extinguish the fire burning near Nea Penteli. Elias Marcou (REUTERS)A firefighting plane drops water on the forest fire in Varnava, on Sunday. Kostas Tzoumas (REUTERS)A woman looks at the damage to her home caused by the forest fire in Dionysos, on Monday. GEORGE VITSARAS (EFE)A house and a car burned after a forest fire in Dionysos, north of Attica. GEORGE VITSARAS (EFE)Medical personnel and police evacuate a patient from a children’s hospital in Penteli, on Monday. GEORGE VITSARAS (EFE)Firefighters try to put out the fire in the town of Dionysos, near Athens, on Monday. Alexandros Avramidis (REUTERS)A firefighting plane drops water on the forest fire in Grammatiko, on Monday. ALEXANDROS BELTES (EFE)Firefighters try to extinguish a forest fire in Grammatiko, northeast of Attica. ALEXANDROS BELTES (EFE)Marina Kalogerakou, 24, uses a bucket to try to extinguish a fire in Penteli, this Monday. Stelios Misinas (REUTERS)A firefighting helicopter drops water as a forest fire burns in Varnava, near Athens, this Sunday. Michalis Karagiannis (REUTERS)The city of Athens is darkened by thick smoke due to the large fire in Grammatiko and Penteli, northeast of Athens, this Monday. VLACHOS ALEXANDROS (EFE)Several firefighters participate in the efforts to extinguish the fire in Dionysos, this Monday. Alexandros Avramidis (REUTERS)Firefighters try to extinguish the fire in a house affected by the forest fire in Dionysos, this Monday. Alexandros Avramidis (REUTERS)A firefighting helicopter drops water on the Varnava wildfire on Sunday. Michael Varaklas (AP/ LaPresse)A resident shovels dirt onto the flames in Dioni, northwest of Athens, on Monday.Michael Varaklas (AP/ LaPresse)A car burns in Varnava on Sunday. Michael Varaklas (AP/ LaPresse)A helicopter collects water to put out the fire in Penteli, northwest of Athens, on Monday.GEORGE VITSARAS (EFE)
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