GREEK AUTHORITIES ORDER EVACUATIONS AS WILDFIRES THREATEN ATHENS

Mon 12 August 2024:

As wildfires rage around the Greek capital, towns and villages near Athens are being evacuated. Authorities have ordered the evacuation of hospitals, a monastery, and over a dozen areas on Monday as a massive fire advanced. This blaze, which has deployed hundreds of firefighters, is the latest in a series of fires as Greece endures record-high temperatures this summer.

According to Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias, the fire is burning on two separate fronts, with some sections in difficult-to-access areas on a mountain northeast of Athens. “Despite a hard battle and the superhuman efforts overnight, the fire spread very fast and has reached Mount Penteli,” a fire brigade official told the Reuters news agency. Kikilias described the situation as “an exceptionally dangerous fire, which we have been fighting for more than 20 hours under dramatic circumstances,” worsened by strong winds.

Early on Monday, evacuations included a children’s hospital, a military hospital, two monasteries, and a children’s home. Authorities issued evacuation orders for over a dozen areas and several suburbs of Athens. Three hospitals in Athens were put on high alert to treat any potential injuries. Police facilitated the evacuations, with some residents taking refuge in shelters overnight. Local media reported that two firefighters sustained minor injuries and several civilians were treated for smoke inhalation.

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The fire department reported that 670 firefighters, supported by 27 specialized wildfire teams and more than 80 members of the armed forces, were battling the flames. Over 180 vehicles were deployed, along with more than 30 water-dropping planes and helicopters providing aerial support. Fire brigade spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis noted that the blaze spread “like lightning” due to gale-force winds, with flames reaching heights of up to 25 meters (82 feet).

In response to the crisis, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis returned to Athens from the island of Crete to oversee the firefighting efforts, according to a government official.

Scientists attribute the increased frequency and intensity of wildfires across Europe to hotter and drier conditions linked to climate change. Greece recorded its hottest June and July ever this year, along with its warmest winter on record. Fires have plagued the country throughout the summer. “Half of Greece will be in the red,” Kikilias warned over the weekend, cautioning about temperatures reaching around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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