2024-08-12 07:38:02
ATHENS (AP) — Hundreds of firefighters backed by two dozen water jets were fighting a massive forest fire that grew out of control on the northern outskirts of the Greek capital on Monday.
A children’s hospital and a military hospital were evacuated early, and evacuation orders were also issued for more than a dozen locations, including Marathon and several suburbs of Athens, according to the fire department. Authorities in nearby towns opened at least one sports center and provided hotel rooms for evacuees.
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries and several civilians were treated in hospital for smoke inhalation, according to local media reports.
The fires sent plumes of smoke over the center of the Greek capital, darkening the sky. The fire started on Sunday afternoon about 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Athens and was quickly blown out of control by strong winds, amid dry conditions following a series of heat waves this summer and an especially dry winter.
This year’s June and July were Greece’s hottest on record and its warmest winter on record.
Meteorologists and government members warned of an increased risk of fires due to weather conditions from Sunday to Thursday. Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said half of the country was on red alert due to the risk of fires.
More than 500 firefighters and 16 specially trained bushfire units, supported by 152 vehicles and scores of volunteers, battled the blaze at dawn on Monday. 29 planes and helicopters were dispatched to drop water in two waves. Authorities said the fire was 25 meters (80 feet) high.
Firefighters asked people to comply with evacuation orders issued by the Civil Protection Department, and authorities noted that some people who refused to leave their homes were later trapped and had to be rescued, putting firefighters’ lives at risk.
“The wind remained strong during the night, causing danger,” fire department spokesman Colonel Vasilios Vatrakojanis said. “Unfortunately, the intensity of the competition is expected to intensify over the next few hours and, in any case, citizens in the areas where the competition will be held must comply with the instructions of the authorities.”
Forest fires are common in Greece during hot, dry summers, although authorities say climate change is making such fires larger and more frequent. In 2018, a fire devastated the coastal town of Mati, east of Athens, trapping people in their homes and on the roads as they tried to escape by car. More than 100 people died, some drowning while trying to swim away from the flames.
Fires in Greece last year killed more than 20 people, including 18 migrants who were trapped by the flames as they crossed a forest in northeastern Greece and raged for more than two weeks.
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