2023-07-17 16:19:51
Several forest fires, fanned by strong winds, broke out between 40 and 80 km east and west of Athens, Greek firefighters said, while the authorities gave the order to evacuate by precaution several seaside areas.
One thousand two hundred children have been evacuated from summer camps threatened by fires near the seaside resort of Loutraki, regarding 80 km west of the Greek capital, announced the mayor, Giorgos Gkionis.
In Kouvaras, regarding 50 km east of Athens, another fire had been raging since the middle of the day. Carried by intense winds, it spread in the followingnoon to Avavyssos, 40 km southeast of the Greek capital, in the densely populated region of Attica.
“It’s a difficult fire, the winds are very strong, up to 7 Beaufort (50 to 60 km / h),” said Yannis Artopios, spokesman for the firefighters, while Greece has been experiencing a heat wave since Thursday with peaks over 44 degrees in the center of the country.
Seven water bombers, four helicopters and 150 firefighters, including a team of 31 Romanian firefighters, were fighting once morest the two fronts of this fire, according to Yannis Artopios.
“So far, no cases of people being trapped have been reported,” he added.
Evacuation of a monastery
The fire, which first destroyed brushwood, quickly spread near the seaside areas of Lagonissi, Anavyssos and Saronida where there are many secondary houses.
Several houses were burned in the area, according to images broadcast by the public television channel ERT and an equestrian center, threatened by the flames, was evacuated. Traffic was brought to a standstill on nearby roads in Kalyvia, which were invaded by thick smoke.
Authorities asked residents to leave as a precaution while a monastery was evacuated.
Near the Isthmus of Corinth, in a forest area close to the famous resort town of Loutraki, a fire was also underway. Precautionary evacuations were also ordered there, according to the ANA news agency.
44.2 degreesTraffic was brought to a standstill on nearby roads in Kalyvia engulfed in thick smoke. [AFP]
According to the firefighters quoted by ANA, ground and air forces have already been mobilized as strong winds blow in the area.
As a precaution, traffic on the highway linking Athens and Corinth has been interrupted, also reports the Greek agency.
A third front broke out on Monday followingnoon in a forest area in Boeotia, regarding fifty kilometers northeast of Athens. According to firefighters, 31 people and 10 vehicles are operating at the scene.
Like part of Europe, Greece was hit this weekend by its first heat wave of the year with a peak of 44.2 degrees in the region of Thebes (center), according to the National Observatory of Athens .
In Athens, the mercury climbed to 39 degrees on Saturday and the emblematic site of the Acropolis, the most visited in the country, remained closed during the hottest hours of the day, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
>> Read also: “It’s the furnace”: the heat wave is setting in all over the world
Strong winds
Sunday evening, the thermometer began to drop slightly and the Ministry for the Climate Crisis warned of the “increased risk” of fires due to strong winds, between 50 and 60 km / h.
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While temperatures are expected to drop 2 to 4 degrees by Wednesday, another heat wave is expected from Thursday with expected highs of 43 degrees locally, according to national weather services EMY.
“We are at the heart of the firefighting period and the expected conditions will be particularly difficult, favoring forest fires”, warned Yannis Artopios.
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