Greece wildfire map: Wildfires mapped as thousands forced to evacuate from areas close to Athens
Extreme temperatures in Greece are continuing to cause wildfires with thousands forced to evacuate.
On Sunday (11 August) a fast-moving wildfire outside Athens fuelled by hot, windy weather burned trees, houses and cars and sent smoke clouds over the Greek capital. More than 400 firefighters backed by 16 waterbombing planes and 13 helicopters battled the blaze that broke out at 3pm.
The fire quickly reached the village of Varnavas 35 km (20 miles) north of Athens. The historic town of Marathon, 40km east of Athens, was forced to evacuate.
The area of Kallitechnoupoli was being evacuated this morning (Monday 12 August). A statement by the Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Vassilis Kikilias, on Monday morning said the residents of northeastern Attica were facing an extremely dangerous wildfire that they have been battling for over 20 hours under dramatic conditions. The statement added: “These challenges are due to the strong winds, prolonged drought, and the very difficult and rugged terrain of dense, unburnt forest.
“The response to the initial outbreak in Varnavas, both on the ground and in the air, was immediate. The first aerial unit, was already in the air on a loaded patrol, and started operating just five minutes after the fire erupted. The first ground forces arrived within seven minutes. The forces were steadily reinforced, with the number of aerial units eventually reaching 29 and the firefighters exceeding 500.”
The inferno broke out in the vicinity of Varnava, a village 35 km northeast of the capital. From the outset fire fighting efforts were hampered by winds that on Monday were predicted to reach 7 Beaufort and had put at least half of the country under “red alert” - the highest level of extreme fire risk in the country’s five-tier system due to the weather conditions.
The Greek fire department has appealed to residents to follow evacuation orders, the Associated Press reported, with authorities noting that some people who had refused to leave their homes later became trapped. Col. Vassileios Vathrakogiannis, the fire department’s spokesman, said: “During the night, the wind remained strong, creating dangerous situations. Unfortunately their intensity is expected to increase in the coming hours, and in any case citizens of the areas where the fire is developing must follow the directions of authorities.”
At least 10 communities around Varnava have been evacuated. Authorities ordered residents of the historic town of Marathon to evacuate towards the beach town of Nea Makri because of the burning fire.