Greek wildfire to consume Athens?

As reported by BBC:

“Thousands of residents are being evacuated from their homes as a large wildfire is spreading north of Athens, with flames leaping as high as 25m (80ft)”

40 fires have been broken out in Greece since Saturday afternoon and firefighters are doing their best to stop the fire but despite the superhuman efforts the fire rises rapidly. 

(PC:BBC)

Despite giving their best efforts the fire is spreading out at the speed of lightning.

“Dozens of fires have broken out since Saturday, fanned by gale force winds and hot weather. The dangerous conditions are expected to last for several more days”.

Greece experienced the hottest june and July recorded since reliable data collection began in 1960.

By Sunday afternoon firefighters had quickly dealt with 33 out of 40 fires that had broken out and were blazing.

“The situation has improved in Dionysos and Varnavas, according to Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias, reports Ta Nea, one of Athens’ daily newspapers”. Said BBC.

Monday morning it seems the fire is reaching north of Athens where two hospitals were evacuated. 

(PC:BBC)

Firefighters from across Greece have come to the aid of north Athens to help the local forces.

As reported by BBC:

“Nikolaos Lavranos, the President of the Panhellenic Federation of Fire Service Employees, has said that firefighters from eastern Macedonia, the Peloponnese and Central Greece have been arriving since dawn, according to the Greek To Vima news site.

“The fire is uncontrollable and extremely aggressive. It is constantly changing direction and this creates problems for both ground forces and air assets,” Lavranos has said”.

The aim for this situation was to control as many fires as they can so that no one can be in danger.

Temperatures remain above average for Greece with the maximum temperature in Athens approaching 40°C on a number of days this week.

A yellow warning for high heat has been issued for much of Greece on Tuesday afternoon.

(PC:BBC)

The troublesome factor for the firefighters seems to be the wind which is funneling down across Greece.

By Monday afternoon a wildfire had approached the northern outskirts of Athens.

And the fire couldn’t be controlled due to strong winds of 7-8 on Beaufort scale.

Citizen’s are wary and helpless in their situation as their houses and buildings are burning. 

The air in Athens smells of burning due to the atmosphere being extremely hot and it’s also dark because of the smoke.

By 12:48 in the afternoon Greece was on red alert for Extreme fire risk and As Said by BBC in their report:

“High temperatures and strong winds would persist over the coming days, and the following regions were put under a category five alert for extreme risk of fire:

Attica (including the island of Kythira)

Central Greece (PE Boeotia, PE Evia)

Peloponnese Region (Argolida Region, Corinth Region, Laconia Region)

A further seven regions were issued with a category four alert for very high fire risk, ranging from Eastern Macedonia and Thrace in the north of Greece to the island of Crete in the south.”

“There are more than 40 flare-ups at the moment, with 685 firefighters and 27 forest commandos operating, including 33 aircrafts (17 helicopters and 16 firefighting aircrafts).

Emergency messages are constantly being sent to evacuate the northern outskirts of Athens, from Penteli toward Chalandri and Vrilissia, which are residential areas.”

Thousands of the residents are being evacuated as the wildfire spreads towards  Athens with flames as high as 80ft.

As of now, the sky above Athens has been Covered by thick smoke which mixed with high temperatures Makes it difficult to breathe.

Around 670 firefighters are battling this wildfire and we wish them nothing but a safe journey and a safe return.

(PC:BBC)

References:

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c80e5l54y3gt

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/12/europe/greece-wildfires-evacuation-athens-intl/index.html

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/wildfires-greece-map-athens-today-b2594927.html

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/greek-wildfire-rages-near-athens-towns-hospitals-evacuated-2024-08-12