Fire breaks out near Keratea, one settlement evacuated

A big wildfire broke out southeast of the Greek capital near Keratea on Saturday evening, with residents in one settlement told to move to a safer area.

The flames were burning low grassland but there were scattered houses in the area which could be threatened. More than 100 firefighters with 30 vehicles and four units on foot have been deployed, the fire service said. The 

Shortly before 11 p.m. an emergency alert message was issued to residents of Ano Daskalio to evacuate towards Keratea. Due to the blaze, traffic has been diverted at the junction of Lavrio Avenue and the Keratea–Anavyssos secondary road.

The mayor of Lavreotiki, Dimitris Loukas, told Kathimerini that the flames had reached the first houses but residents had been evacuated in time.

“We managed to evacuate them in time, the fire touched the first houses,” but no damages have been reported, Loukas said, adding that municipal crews are currently trying to open a fire zone to stop the flames.