Thousands of residents have been evacuated as large wildfires reached the suburbs of Athens, with some flames leaping as high as 25 metres (80 feet). The Greek government formally called on the EU for assistance on Monday, with France pledging to send 180 firefighters, 55 trucks and a helicopter to help contain the flames.
AFP
Issued on: 12/08/2024 -
Greek firefighters try to extinguish a wildfire near Penteli, on August 12, 2024.
© Angelos Tzortzini, AFP
A massive wildfire blazed into Athens’ northeastern suburbs on Monday as hundreds of firefighters battled to contain it, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes and sparking a Greek government appeal for international help.
In scenes never before seen in the Greek capital, residents wearing masks against the choking smoke were desperately dousing their homes with water hoses in the leafy suburbs of Nea Penteli and Vrilissia in an effort to render them less vulnerable to fire.
“(It’s) the first time ever the fire has come here,” said Melina Kritseli, 40, a civil servant living in a two-storey white house in Patima Halandriou, another Athens suburb that was evacuated.
“I took my children to a friend’s house to be safe,” she told AFP as her husband hosed the ground and grass outside their house.
Television footage showed several cars gutted by fire and the roofs of stately homes burning as water-bombing helicopters roared overhead.
“The situation is dramatic,” Penteli Mayor Natassa Kosmopoulou told news portal newsit.gr.
“A school and homes are on fire, and I can see the fire coming towards the town hall,” she said.
The National Observatory, Greece’s foremost institute monitoring natural hazards, narrowly escaped.
Greece on Monday formally called for EU assistance, a spokesman said.
“The EU civil protection mechanism was activated upon request of the Greek authorities,” EU spokesman Balazs Ujvari said in a statement, adding that Italy, France, the Czech Republic and Romania were sending units to help.
“We stand with Greece as it battles devastating fires,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.
Help from Spain and Turkey is also being “finalized”, the Greek civil protection ministry said.
A massive wildfire blazed into Athens’ northeastern suburbs on Monday as hundreds of firefighters battled to contain it, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes and sparking a Greek government appeal for international help.
In scenes never before seen in the Greek capital, residents wearing masks against the choking smoke were desperately dousing their homes with water hoses in the leafy suburbs of Nea Penteli and Vrilissia in an effort to render them less vulnerable to fire.
“(It’s) the first time ever the fire has come here,” said Melina Kritseli, 40, a civil servant living in a two-storey white house in Patima Halandriou, another Athens suburb that was evacuated.
“I took my children to a friend’s house to be safe,” she told AFP as her husband hosed the ground and grass outside their house.
Television footage showed several cars gutted by fire and the roofs of stately homes burning as water-bombing helicopters roared overhead.
“The situation is dramatic,” Penteli Mayor Natassa Kosmopoulou told news portal newsit.gr.
“A school and homes are on fire, and I can see the fire coming towards the town hall,” she said.
The National Observatory, Greece’s foremost institute monitoring natural hazards, narrowly escaped.
Greece on Monday formally called for EU assistance, a spokesman said.
“The EU civil protection mechanism was activated upon request of the Greek authorities,” EU spokesman Balazs Ujvari said in a statement, adding that Italy, France, the Czech Republic and Romania were sending units to help.
“We stand with Greece as it battles devastating fires,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X.
Help from Spain and Turkey is also being “finalized”, the Greek civil protection ministry said.
Strong winds
The wildfire started on Sunday afternoon in the town of Varnavas, some 35 kilometres (22 miles) northeast of Athens.
Aided by strong winds, it grew to a 30-kilometre long frontline of flames, more than 25 metres (80 feet) high in places, according to state TV ERT.
“I heard my animals bleating and dying,” Dimitris Megagiannis, a goat herder near Penteli, told Mega TV station.
Over 700 firefighters with nearly 200 fire engines and over 30 aircraft were trying to contain the fire.
Authorities opened the Olympic stadium in northern Athens and other stadiums to house thousands of people evacuated from the path of the blaze. Three major hospitals have been placed on standby.
One firefighter suffered serious burns, another was hospitalised with breathing trouble and 13 other people were treated for milder respiratory problems, fire brigade spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said.
Several smaller communities and towns, including Marathon, which gave the Olympic long distance race its name, started to evacuate on Sunday.
Smoke drifted through central Athens as thick grey clouds engulfed Mount Pentelikon, which is known for producing the marble used in the Acropolis and other ancient buildings.
The wind had rekindled the fire in 40 different locations on Monday, he said.
A children’s hospital and a military medical facility in Penteli were evacuated at dawn, Vathrakogiannis said. Another hospital was evacuated during the day.
The destruction revived memories of the Mati disaster, the coastal area near Marathon where 104 people died in July 2018 in a tragedy later blamed on evacuation delays and errors.
The summer wildfire season in Greece this year has seen dozens of daily blazes after the Mediterranean country recorded its warmest winter and the hottest June and July since reliable data collection began in 1960.
Temperatures around Athens were forecast to peak at 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday, with wind gusts of up to 50 kilometres (31 miles) per hour.
‘Engulfed in flames’
“Forest fire near you. Follow the instructions of the authorities,” said SMS messages sent to people in the Attica region, indicating in which direction to flee.
Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias issued a warning Saturday that half the country faced a high risk of fires due to high temperatures, strong winds and drought conditions.
On Monday he said that the fire had spread even though a water-bombing aircraft reached the area within five minutes.
“We’re working 24-hour shifts, all of us,” said fireman Marinos Peristeropoulos.
“The fire spread very quickly because of the strong wind,” he told AFP near one of the hotspots in Grammatiko.
Greek firefighters enter a field after sawing a fence as they try to extinguish a wildfire near Penteli, 12 August 2024. © Angelos Tzortzini, AFP
Scientists say that human-induced fossil fuel emissions are worsening the length, frequency and intensity of heatwaves across the world.
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Rising temperatures are leading to longer wildfire seasons and increasing the area burnt in the flames, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Other parts of Europe are also struggling with high temperatures.
Parts of France rose above 40C on Sunday. In Rome, temperatures were expected to reach 38C Monday and remain around 36C this week.
In the Netherlands, temperatures between 32C and 35C are expected.
(AFP)
Scientists say that human-induced fossil fuel emissions are worsening the length, frequency and intensity of heatwaves across the world.
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morningSubscribe
Rising temperatures are leading to longer wildfire seasons and increasing the area burnt in the flames, according to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Other parts of Europe are also struggling with high temperatures.
Parts of France rose above 40C on Sunday. In Rome, temperatures were expected to reach 38C Monday and remain around 36C this week.
In the Netherlands, temperatures between 32C and 35C are expected.
(AFP)
Greece evacuates hospitals and homes as wildfires rage near Athens
Greece ordered the evacuation of hospitals and homes near Athens Monday as wildfires spread despite "superhuman" efforts to combat the flames, the fire brigade said.
Issued on: 12/08/2024 -
Greece ordered the evacuation of hospitals and homes near Athens Monday as wildfires spread despite "superhuman" efforts to combat the flames, the fire brigade said.
Issued on: 12/08/2024 -
Greece has deployed 510 firefighters and 152 vehicles, while 29 aircraft were due to set out Monday at first light.
© Angelos Tzortzinis, AFP
01:34
Video by: FRANCE 24
At least five more communities were told to flee by civil protection authorities, after hundreds of people evacuated Sunday from at least eight villages.
"Civil protection forces battled hard throughout the night, but despite superhuman efforts, the fire evolved rapidly," fire brigade spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said.
"At this moment it has reached Mount Pentelicus and is headed in the direction of Penteli," he added.
Two hospitals in Penteli – one for children and a military facility – were evacuated at dawn according to Vathrakogiannis.
The brigade has deployed 510 firefighters and 152 vehicles, while 29 aircraft were due to set out at first light, he added.
"Forest fire near you. Follow the instructions of the authorities," said SMS messages sent to people in the Attica region, indicating in which direction to flee.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cut short his holiday and returned to Athens Sunday evening to deal with the crisis.
By Sunday afternoon, firefighters had quickly dealt with 33 out of the 40 blazes that had broken out in the past 24 hours.
But the force was battling seven more in the high Mediterranean summer heat, the fire brigade spokesman said Sunday.
Residents of the historic town of Marathon, 40 kilometres (25 miles) east of Athens, were among those ordered to evacuate Sunday.
"Everything is burning," said Giorgos Tsevas, a resident of Polydendri village.
"I have 200 olive trees there but now they are gone," the 48-year-old said Sunday.
Already Saturday, Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias had warned that half the country was under a high-risk warning for fires due to high temperatures, wind gusts and drought conditions.
"Throughout the night, winds remained strong, creating dangerous situations. Unfortunately their intensity is expected to increase in the coming hours," Vathrakogiannis warned.
The Mediterranean country is exceptionally vulnerable to summer blazes, with this season seeing fires burn daily.
After the warmest winter on record, Greece also experienced its hottest June and July since reliable data collection began in 1960.
Scientists warn that human-induced fossil fuel emissions are worsening the length, frequency and intensity of heatwaves across the world.
The rising temperatures are leading to longer wildfire seasons and increasing the area burnt in the flames, according to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
(AFP)
At least five more communities were told to flee by civil protection authorities, after hundreds of people evacuated Sunday from at least eight villages.
"Civil protection forces battled hard throughout the night, but despite superhuman efforts, the fire evolved rapidly," fire brigade spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said.
"At this moment it has reached Mount Pentelicus and is headed in the direction of Penteli," he added.
Two hospitals in Penteli – one for children and a military facility – were evacuated at dawn according to Vathrakogiannis.
The brigade has deployed 510 firefighters and 152 vehicles, while 29 aircraft were due to set out at first light, he added.
"Forest fire near you. Follow the instructions of the authorities," said SMS messages sent to people in the Attica region, indicating in which direction to flee.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cut short his holiday and returned to Athens Sunday evening to deal with the crisis.
By Sunday afternoon, firefighters had quickly dealt with 33 out of the 40 blazes that had broken out in the past 24 hours.
But the force was battling seven more in the high Mediterranean summer heat, the fire brigade spokesman said Sunday.
Residents of the historic town of Marathon, 40 kilometres (25 miles) east of Athens, were among those ordered to evacuate Sunday.
"Everything is burning," said Giorgos Tsevas, a resident of Polydendri village.
"I have 200 olive trees there but now they are gone," the 48-year-old said Sunday.
Already Saturday, Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias had warned that half the country was under a high-risk warning for fires due to high temperatures, wind gusts and drought conditions.
"Throughout the night, winds remained strong, creating dangerous situations. Unfortunately their intensity is expected to increase in the coming hours," Vathrakogiannis warned.
The Mediterranean country is exceptionally vulnerable to summer blazes, with this season seeing fires burn daily.
After the warmest winter on record, Greece also experienced its hottest June and July since reliable data collection began in 1960.
Scientists warn that human-induced fossil fuel emissions are worsening the length, frequency and intensity of heatwaves across the world.
The rising temperatures are leading to longer wildfire seasons and increasing the area burnt in the flames, according to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
(AFP)
Raging Athens wildfire the 'worst so far' this year
Issued on: 12/08/2024
03:11© FRANCE 24
A major forest fire that began Sunday afternoon was raging out of control on the northern fringes of the Greek capital Monday, triggering numerous evacuation orders for Athen's suburbs and outlying areas. "It is the worst fire we have seen so far in Greece this year, with flames going up to 25 metres ... the fire engulfing the region of 35 kilometres in less than 24 hours", FRANCE 24's Nathalia Savaricas said, adding that 685 firefighters along with 190 fire trucks and 32 aircraft are currently deployed to put out the flames.
Issued on: 12/08/2024
03:11© FRANCE 24A major forest fire that began Sunday afternoon was raging out of control on the northern fringes of the Greek capital Monday, triggering numerous evacuation orders for Athen's suburbs and outlying areas. "It is the worst fire we have seen so far in Greece this year, with flames going up to 25 metres ... the fire engulfing the region of 35 kilometres in less than 24 hours", FRANCE 24's Nathalia Savaricas said, adding that 685 firefighters along with 190 fire trucks and 32 aircraft are currently deployed to put out the flames.
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