Flames threaten Athens, EU called for help, areas evacuated… update on the fire in Greece

For nearly two weeks, Greece has been battling major wildfires. The flames are increasingly threatening the capital Athens as firefighters step up their operations. An update on the situation.

A major wildfire in Greece, fueled by scorching temperatures and strong winds, reached the suburbs of Athens on Monday, leading to the evacuation of several hospitals, towns and villages, Greek authorities said. Around 700 firefighters and volunteers, supported by 190 emergency vehicles, as well as 33 water bombers and helicopters, are battling the fire that broke out on Sunday near Varnavas, 35 km north of the capital.

EU urged to intervene

The Greek government has also called on other European Union (EU) member states to help fight the fire. France, announced the resigning Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin at a press conference, will send a helicopter, 180 civil security personnel and 55 trucks to Greece.

These resources “are leaving for Greece today which does not detract from our own protection, since we have a lot of personnel who are now predisposed everywhere, between Corsica and the south of the Loire", added the minister. Hundreds of wildfires have broken out this summer in Greece, which recorded its hottest June and July on record after a winter that already saw record high temperatures, amid global climate disruption.

As the flames approached the suburbs of Athens, some residents of the wooded, hilly Penteli neighborhood stayed behind to try to contain the flames with the help of hoses and tree branches.

“It hurts, we grew up in the forest, we feel great sadness and anger,”, said Marina Kalogerakou, a resident of 24, her mouth and nose covered by a red bandana as she poured a bucket of water on a burning tree stump. Another resident, Pantelis Kyriazis, crashed his car while trying to escape the flames. “I couldn't see anything, I hit a pine tree”, he said.

People taken care of, damage…

Pillars of smoke could be seen rising on the horizon as a burning smell enveloped Athens. The fire reached Vrilissia, about 14 km from the centre of the capital, although motorways separate the suburbs from the city centre. To the north, at the epicenter of the fire, firefighters found extensive damage, including abandoned homes and vehicles ravaged by flames, blackened hillsides and charred trees.

On Monday morning, the fire began spreading southward, including to the village of Grammatiko, the ancient city of Marathon, the seaside town of Nea Makri and Mount Penteli, just north of Athens. No deaths have been reported so far, but 13 people were treated by rescuers and medical personnel for smoke inhalation and two firefighters for burns, fire department spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said.

More than 25 areas have been forced to evacuate residents, government officials said. Power outages have occurred in parts of the Athens area. Passenger ferries heading to the port of Rafina, northeast of the capital, were diverted and at least three hospitals were evacuated in Penteli.

Spain, Turkey and Cyprus have also offered help to Greece, a government official said. Summers in Greece have long been marked by wildfires, but warmer and drier weather brought on by climate change has made the blazes more frequent and intense.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cut short his holiday on the island of Crete to return to Athens, a government official said, with memories of a 2018 fire that killed 104 people in the seaside town of Mati, near the capital, still fresh. Authorities are on alert until Thursday.