ATHENS, Greece — A massive wildfire raged Monday in the northern suburbs of Athens, prompting the evacuation of several areas as swirling winds hampered the efforts of hundreds of firefighters and dozens of water-dropping planes.
The massive and fast-moving blaze sent flames shooting more than 25 meters (80 feet) into the air as Greece sought help from other countries, activating Europe’s mutual civil protection mechanism.
The fire broke out on Sunday afternoon about 35 kilometres (22 miles) northeast of Athens, burning several homes and businesses and sending a cloud of smoke and ash over the city centre. Power outages hit some neighbourhoods in the Greek capital and affected traffic lights at major intersections in the city centre.
Authorities said 15 people were injured, most from smoke inhalation, as the fire reached the outskirts of a suburb about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the city center. Greece’s National Observatory said late Monday that satellite images showed the fire had affected about 10,000 hectares (24,000 acres).
France will provide a helicopter, Italy two water-dropping planes and the Czech Republic 75 firefighters and 25 vehicles, officials said, while Serbia and Romania are also preparing aid. Neighboring Turkey’s foreign ministry said its country would send two firefighting planes and a helicopter, while Spain is also finalizing reinforcements to send to Greece.
The fire ravaged pine forests dried out by repeated heatwaves this summer. June and July were the hottest months on record in Greece, which also experienced its warmest winter on record. The early start to this year’s fire season has put a strain on Greece’s firefighting forces.
“Firefighters have been working at full capacity for months,” said Nikos Lavranos, president of Greece’s main firefighters’ union. “They are exhausted.”
Civil Protection and Climate Crises Minister Vassilis Kikilias said Monday that it was an “exceptionally dangerous fire, which we have been fighting for more than 20 hours in dramatic circumstances.” Some areas of the fire on a mountain northeast of Athens were particularly difficult to access, he added.
Three hospitals, including a children’s hospital, two monasteries and a children’s home were evacuated Monday afternoon. Cellphones in the area received at least 30 push alerts warning residents to flee.
“The wind was blowing one way and then the other,” said Spyros Gorilas, a resident of the Dioni area who sprayed water on his house to save it from the flames. “The smoke was suffocating. You couldn’t see anything. You had tears in your eyes. You couldn’t breathe.”
“Even the helicopter that was dropping water, you couldn’t see it,” he added. “You could only hear it.”
Evacuation orders have been issued for other Athens suburbs until Monday. Fire service spokesman Col. Vassileios Vathrakogiannis said there had been dozens of flare-ups in areas where the flames had previously subsided somewhat.
More than 700 firefighters, supported by 27 special firefighting teams and members of the armed forces, battled the flames. More than 190 vehicles were deployed, with air support from 17 water-dropping aircraft and 16 helicopters.
Three hospitals in Athens were placed on high alert, while paramedics and rescue workers treated two firefighters – one for minor burns and the other for respiratory problems – and 13 civilians for respiratory problems, Vathrakogiannis said. The Athens Medical Association warned people with chronic diseases, the elderly, pregnant women, children and people with respiratory and heart problems to exercise increased caution.
The Greek coastguard has diverted all ferries from a nearby port serving several Aegean islands to another port. Gyms and hotels have been turned into evacuation centres.
Police said 380 officers were involved in the evacuations and helped move more than 250 people out of the path of the flames. They posted a video on social media showing officers carrying elderly people out of their homes to waiting vehicles against a fiery red night sky.
Authorities said some people who refused to leave their homes became trapped and had to be rescued, putting the lives of firefighters at risk. The affected areas, located 15 kilometers (9 miles) or so from the center of Athens, where the famous Acropolis and other archaeological sites are located, are typically home to thousands of residents.
It is not known, however, how many of them were on holiday at the height of the summer season, or how many had obeyed evacuation orders or were left alone to fight the fire.
Meteorologists have warned of an increased danger of wildfires due to weather conditions from Sunday to Thursday, with half the country placed on red alert for wildfire risk.
Dozens of other forest fires also broke out in several regions of Greece on Monday.
Wildfires are common in the Mediterranean country during its hot, dry summers, but authorities have said climate change is fueling larger and more frequent blazes.
In 2018, a massive fire tore through the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens, trapping residents in their homes and on the roads as they tried to flee by car. More than 100 people died, some drowning while trying to swim away from the flames.
Last year, wildfires in Greece killed more than 20 people, including 18 migrants who became trapped by flames while walking through a forest in northeastern Greece and were caught in a massive blaze that burned for more than two weeks.
Forest fires also hit neighboring North Macedonia and Albania on Monday, which experienced high summer temperatures and strong winds.
Associated Press writers Lefteris Pitarakis in Dioni, Greece; Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Greece; and Elise Morton in London contributed to this report.
Originally published:
