Gale-Force Winds Cause Greek Wildfire to Menace Athens
Following a warm winter and extended periods without rain, Greece is currently experiencing wildfires that seem to be uncontrollable and are moving towards Athens.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has decided to cut short his vacation and return to Athens due to a wildfire driven by strong winds that is approaching the capital.
As the flames engulf thousands of trees, houses, and cars, eleven towns and villages north of Athens have been evacuated.
The prime minister interrupted his break on Crete to come back to Athens and oversee the government’s response to the fire.
After enduring months with minimal rainfall, most of Greece’s forests are extremely dry, and the country is expected to have its hottest summer on record this year.
Temperatures reaching around 104 degrees F are forecasted, and Greece’s climate crisis and civil protection minister Vassilis Kikilias stated on Aug. 10, “Half of Greece will be in the red.”
The latest wildfire began on Aug. 11 near Varnavas, located 20 miles north of Athens.
Over 600 firefighters and volunteers, supported by 17 planes and 15 helicopters, are currently battling the blaze.
Fire Spread ‘Like Lightning’
According to fire brigade spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, the fire rapidly expanded due to the strong winds, with flames reaching heights of 80 feet.
“Unfortunately, their intensity is expected to escalate in the upcoming hours, and citizens of the affected areas must follow the instructions of authorities,” he emphasized.
Kikilias described it as “an extremely hazardous fire” that has been under attack for over 20 hours in dramatic conditions.
By the morning of Aug. 12, the fire had moved southward and was posing a threat to the village of Grammatiko, the ancient town of Marathon, and the seaside resort of Nea Makri.
Smoke can also be seen rising from the slopes of Mount Penteli just north of Athens.
Constantly changing strong winds have been altering the direction of the flames.
Three hospitals in Penteli have been evacuated, and flames have been spotted near the Dionysos suburb, located 14 miles from downtown Athens.
Greek police shared a video on X depicting police officers assisting elderly individuals from their homes to waiting vehicles.
Police Warn Residents Not to Return
Police have cautioned residents not to return to areas that have already been engulfed by fire for their safety and to aid the firefighters’ efforts.
The fire department advises people to comply with evacuation orders, as those who remain in their homes risk getting trapped.
Lorraine Herbison Hollinshead, a British journalist vacationing in Athens, captured a video of the view from their hotel balcony with the Acropolis visible and the smoke looming. The wildfires are only around 18 miles away from their location.
“We received three emergency alerts to our mobiles between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m.,” she mentioned.
In 2018, a fire in the seaside town of Mati near Athens claimed 104 lives, and last year, 20 people lost their lives due to fires in northeastern Greece.
In a speech at the Thessaloniki International Fair in September, Mitsotakis announced plans to recruit additional firefighters and forestry workers and raise taxes for tourists to fund a 600 million euro ($655 million) climate change fund.
Greece is not the only country dealing with wildfires this year.
The massive Park Fire in California has destroyed more than 500 homes, making it the fourth-largest wildfire in the state’s history.
Ronnie Dean Stout II, 42, from Chico, California, faces felony arson charges for allegedly starting the immense blaze by setting a car on fire.
Last month, the town of Jasper, Alberta, in Canada, was largely destroyed by a fire that consumed thousands of acres of trees affected by a pine beetle infestation. A firefighter perished last week while battling the fire in Jasper National Park.
Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
