A wildfire burned through a suburb of Athens today and some residents were ordered to evacuate – photos show houses on fire, damaged buildings and firefighters at the scene
British tourists visiting Greece have been put on alert as new wildfires are spreading through the country, which has been battling a 44C heatwave for the past week.
Today, a wildfire burned through a northern suburb of the Greek capital of Athens and some residents were ordered to evacuate, the country’s Fire Service reported. Residents of the town of Kryoneri, which is located 20km (12.5 miles) northeast of Athens, received three SMS messages to evacuate to safe areas, Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyannis said.
Photos taken in the area show houses on fire, damaged buildings and firefighters trying to contain the blazes. Mr Vathrakoyannis said “there have been reports of damages.” He added: “We will take stock when the fires have been put out.”
READ MORE: Cyprus travel warnings for Brits as deadly wildfire rips through the island
“The real difficulties are ahead of us,” Mr Vathrakoyannis said, adding that Greece has asked for six firefighting planes from the European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism. On site, 145 firefighters and 44 fire engines, 10 firefighting planes and seven helicopters are attempting to put out the fire, whose origin is unknown.
Four ambulances are treating at least five residents, most of them elderly with respiratory problems. Temperatures reaching, or exceeding, 38C, dry conditions and high winds are fanning the flames. On Saturday, highs of 44C were recorded.
Under such conditions wildfires “expand very quickly and become dangerous,” Mr Vathrakoyannis said, adding: “These conditions are expected to prevail over the coming days.”
The fire service is also dealing with three other major fires in the southwest on Greece’s two largest islands- Crete in the south and Evia north of Athens – and also on the island of Kythera, northwest of Crete. At least 335 firefighters, 19 planes and 13 helicopters are involved, but can only operate in daylight. In total, 52 wildfires broke out across the country over the past 24 hours, the spokesman said.
Wildfires, many of them destructive, have become a common occurrence in Greece in recent years. Several have broken out in the past month. At the beginning of July, hotels and homes on the island of Crete were evacuated due to wildfires.
It comes just days after wildfires spread across Cyprus, ravaging 100 square kilometres (38.6 square miles) of forested hillsides, destroying several homes and leading to the evacuation of a dozen villages on the southern side of the island nation’s Troodos mountain range. The range covers about a third of Cyprus and is where dozens of small villages and resorts are located.
Earlier this week, two bodies were discovered in burnt-out cars, police said. The island nation is on high alert for fires this summer following three consecutive dry winters.