Wildfires north of Athens rage on, prompting more evacuations
A massive wildfire continued to rage unabated in residential areas in northern Athens, prompting more evacuations.
The huge fire, which broke out Sunday afternoon in the Varnava area of northeastern Attica, continued to spread, destroying land and property. On Monday it burned on two main fronts, fanned by strong winds: in Grammatiko, northeast of Athens, and in Kallitechnoupoli, east of Athens.
Shortly after 20:00, residents of Geraka’s Desi area received a 112 message to evacuate to the center of the town.
Earlier, residents of Nea and Palaia Penteli, Patima Halandri, Patima Vrilissia, the Krasa area of Ano Vrilissia and Dionysus also received a 112 emergency message to evacuate.
An evacuation message was also sent to residents of the Kaletzi area of Marathon, eastern Attica.
Three hospitals were also evacuated, the Amalia Fleming in Melissia, the Penteli Children’s Hospital and the 414 Military Hospital.
In the area of Vrilissia, the flames reached a small chemical industry, causing several explosions. The mayor of Vrillisia, Giannis Pisimisis, told Kathimerini that at least 10 houses in the area were burned by the fire.
The mayor of Halandri, Symeon Roussos, said that the fire had reached Halandri from Ano Penteli via the Vrilissou stream, burning one house.
“There are hot spots under Anapafseos Avenue. Overall, there is no (fire) front in Halandri,” Roussos told Kathimerini.
“This is the first time we have seen a fire of this magnitude in Halandri, especially one that has come from so far away,” he added.
#fire in #Athens
Ελικόπτερο της Πυροσβεστικής επιχειρεί εντός κατοικημένης περιοχής στα Βριλήσσια, επί της οδού Αναπαύσεως. Στις φλόγες εργοστάσιο pic.twitter.com/Txah4qB7kt— Lucas Velidakis (@UrbanRat7) August 12, 2024
The fire broke out on Sunday afternoon in the Varnava area of northeastern Attica, but spread rapidly, reaching residential areas in northern Athens on Monday after covering a distance of more than 30 kilometers.
According to estimates by the National Meteorological Service of Athens (meteo.gr), based on images received by the European satellite Sentinel-2, the fire had burned about 100 square kilometers by Monday afternoon.
EU assistance on the way
The Greek authorities sought and were promised assistance from the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (EUCPM) to fight the blazes.
“In order to support Greece’s fight against the ongoing wildfires, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has mobilized: 2 fire-fighting aircraft from the rescEU fleet in Italy, 1 helicopter from the rescEU fleet in France Ground fire-fighting teams from the Czech Republic and Romania,” the EUCPM said in a post on X.
Italy will send two Canadair planes, which are expected to arrive on Tuesday. France will send 180 firefighters, 55 trucks and a helicopter, according to French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. The French assistance is expected to arrive on Monday evening.
The Czech Republic will send 75 firefighters and 25 vehicles, which are expected to arrive on Tuesday. Cyprus, Turkey and Spain are also expected to provide assistance.
Currently, 40 Romanian firefighters are participating in the firefighting operation. They were sent to Greece in early July as part of the EUCPM program. The Romanian Embassy in Athens posted photos of the firefighting operations on X, highlighting the efforts of the Romanian firefighters alongside their Greek colleagues.
