Wildfire rages near Athens
A wildfire raged closer to Athens today, forcing evacuations of at least 11 towns and villages, Reuters reported citing Greek authorities.
The fire broke out on Sunday afternoon, and by this morning was burning in several areas, including the ancient town of Marathon and Mount Penteli north of Athens.
At least three hospitals had been evacuated.
Key events
Areas damaged by wildfires in Greece over the past days.
Sam Jones
Meanwhile, in Spain:
Police are investigating a businessman who is alleged to have spent 17 years stealing water from an aquifer in the southeastern region of Murcia to water the golf course at the resort he owned, causing environmental damage estimated at €65m.
Officers from the Guardia Civil force began investigating after receiving reports that illegal wells have been furtively dug at night and then camouflaged.
After overflying the area in a helicopter and investigating on the ground, they discovered 15 illegal wells and five springs that had run dry.
The businessman is now under investigation for illegally extracting underground water and damaging natural resources and the environment.
“During the investigation, officers discovered that more than two million cubic litres of water had been extracted from the aquifer each year,” the Guardia Civil said in a statement.
“According to an expert report, the illegal activity had been going on for approximately 17 years and had caused environmental damage of €65m, a sum that includes the costs of restoration and the economic costs relating to the loss of ecosystemic services.”
And here’s the full statement from Greece’s minister for climate crisis and civil protection, Vassilis Kikilias.
Since yesterday afternoon, the residents of northeastern Attica have been facing an extremely dangerous wildfire that we have been battling for over 20 hours under dramatic conditions. These challenges are due to the strong winds, prolonged drought, and the very difficult and rugged terrain of dense, unburnt forest.
Currently, a fierce battle is being waged on two fronts: one in the area of Kallitechnoupoli and the other in the area of Grammatikos.
The situation is improved in the areas of Dionysos, Varnavas, and Mikrochori.
A total of 670 firefighters, 27 forest commando teams, 183 vehicles, and 32 aerial units (17 aircraft and 15 helicopters) are engaged in the operations. The winds remain strong today, raging at 7 Beaufort, and are expected to remain very strong in the coming hours.
I want to be clear: The response to the initial outbreak in Varnavas, both on the ground and in the air, was immediate. The first aerial unit, was already in the air on a loaded patrol, and started operating just five minutes after the fire erupted. The first ground forces arrived within seven minutes. The forces were steadily reinforced, with the number of aerial units eventually reaching 29 and the firefighters exceeding 500.
Unfortunately, the prediction from the Risk Assessment Committee, which placed Attica and other regions of Greece on red alert, has been confirmed. We will continue with all our strength until the fire is under control and every last hotspot is extinguished.
Here’s the latest evacuation order.
Helena Smith
Firefighters were battling to contain a massive blaze moving “like lightning” on the outskirts of Athens with authorities evacuating ever more people from towns, villages and hospitals as flames ripped through trees, homes and cars.
Propelled by gale-force winds, the wildfire had assumed a 20-kilometre front by today despite “superhuman” efforts by forest commandos and volunteers to douse the inferno overnight.
By mid-morning orders for the evacuation of eleven villages and towns, including the ancient Marathon, had been issued as Greek authorities rushed to move residents out of stricken areas. Large parts of Mount Pendeli, north of Athens, have also been engulfed by flames.
The Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, cutting short his summer break on the island of Crete, returned to Athens to oversee the response in a nation where memories of the 104 people who died when similar fires ripped through the seaside resort of Mati six years ago have not been forgotten.
The inferno broke out in the vicinity of Varnava, a village 35 km northeast of the capital, sending gigantic clouds of ashen smoke billowing over Athens.
From the outset fire fighting efforts were hampered by winds that on Monday were predicted to reach 7 Beaufort and had put at least half of the country under “red alert” – the highest level of extreme fire risk in the country’s five-tier system due to the weather conditions.
The Greek fire department has appealed to residents to follow evacuation orders, the Associated Press reported, with authorities noting that some people who had refused to leave their homes later became trapped.
“During the night, the wind remained strong, creating dangerous situations,” said Col. Vassileios Vathrakogiannis, the fire department’s spokesman.
He added:
Unfortunately their intensity is expected to increase in the coming hours, and in any case citizens of the areas where the fire is developing must follow the directions of authorities.
AFP reports from Penteli:
Thick smoke from burning trees filled a small square in Penteli where local resident Mariana Papathanasi said they could only pray that their houses would be saved.
“There is still a strong fire. Some houses were burned after midnight and we are trying to protect our local restaurant,” the 49-year-old supermarket employee told AFP.
“It hurts, we have grown up in this forest. We feel great sadness and anger,” 24-year old Penteli resident Marina Kalogerakou told Reuters outside her home, which the flames had nearly reached.
Watch footage from Greece as firefighters battle wildfires.
Wildfire ‘extremely dangerous’, Greek minister says
Helena Smith
Greece’s minister of climate crisis and political protection, Vassilis Kikilias, has just made statements.
Describing the wildfire as “extremely dangerous,” he said firefighting forces were struggling in “dramatic conditions” exacerbated by terrain turned into a tinderbox because of prolonged drought.
It’s an extremely dangerous fire that we’ve been battling for over 20 hours in dramatic conditions because of the very strong winds and prolonged dryness.
More than 670 fire fighters, backed by 17 waterbombing planes, 15 helicopters and trucks were trying to bring the wild fire under control, and forces were being “continually reinforced.”
“Right now the battle is being waged on two fronts, one in the area of Kallitechnoupolis and the other in Grammatikos … we will continue with all our might until it is brought under control and the last front is put out,” he said.
Another evacuation order has been issued.
Greek officials advise staying in with windows shut due to fires near Athens
Helena Smith
Yesterday, Greek authorities warned people to stay indoors with their “windows closed” as more than 400 firefighters battled to contain blazes on the outskirts of Athens that were forcing the evacuation of entire communities, including at the historic site of Marathon.
Health officials urged people to limit their movements and stay inside, saying the thick smoke had seriously affected the quality of the air across the Attic basin.
By 4pm the skies above the Greek parliament in central Syntagma Square had turned a yellowish brown as ash clouds pushed by the winds travelled southward.
At least eight people were taken to hospital with respiratory problems.
The prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, cut short his holiday and returned to Athens on Sunday evening to deal with the crisis.
Unprecedented temperatures – June and July were the hottest on record – after the warmest winter ever have turned Greece’s terrain into a tinderbox, environmentalists have said.
Read the full story here.
Here are the latest images from Greece, as emergency services battle a wildfire.
The Greek authorities have issued several evacuation orders.
Wildfire rages near Athens
A wildfire raged closer to Athens today, forcing evacuations of at least 11 towns and villages, Reuters reported citing Greek authorities.
The fire broke out on Sunday afternoon, and by this morning was burning in several areas, including the ancient town of Marathon and Mount Penteli north of Athens.
At least three hospitals had been evacuated.
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