PM visits Varybobi to start taking stock of fire damage
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and civil protection chief Nikos Hardalias visited Varybobi in northern Athens on Wednesday morning to speak with firefighters and other responders at the scene where a massive wildfire swept through homes and forestland and to get an initial idea of the damage.
“These fires in suburban forests are an absolute nightmare,” Mitsotakis said in comments to the press after thanking the men and women of Greece’s fire service for their efforts.
“Thank God there has been no loss of life and the evacuation system worked perfectly. Our vital infrastructures held,” he said, referring to the evacuation of thousands of residents and vacationers from Varybobi, Thrakomakedones, Adames, the Olympic Village and Kryoneri as the blaze swept through dense vegetation, campsites and homes from midday Tuesday through Wednesday morning.
Adding that a few more “tough days” still lie ahead as Greece grapples with the worst heatwave in decades, the prime minister also called on the public to refrain from any activities that could spark new fires.
“We have a few more days of the heatwave ahead and then the winds will pick up, so I’m asking all of you to remain fully alert so that the damage from now on is as small as possible,” he said.
