Greece: Forest fires force evacuation of thousands of residents near Athens

Greece ordered new evacuations near Athens on Monday due to wildfires that broke out last weekend. All this despite "superhuman" efforts being made by the various fire departments to contain the flames that are rapidly approaching the Greek capital.

Authorities in Chalandri, one of the main metropolises northwest of Athens with 70,000 inhabitants, called for neighborhoods closest to the fires, which started on Sunday, to be vacated.

"Due to the wind direction, we decided on a preventive evacuation (...) The fire is very close," they told public television station ERT.

Civil protection authorities early in the morning ordered the evacuation of at least five localities, after hundreds of people had to vacate at least eight villages in the area on Sunday.

Also two hospitals, one pediatric and one military, had to be evacuated and patients transferred to other facilities in Penteli, about 15 kilometers northeast of Athens.

"Civil protection forces fought hard throughout the night, but despite superhuman efforts, the fire continues to spread rapidly," firefighters' spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis told reporters in remarks picked up by AFP.

Residents of the historic town of Marathon, 40 kilometers east of Athens and home to 7,000 people, were evacuated overnight to the coastal town of Nea Makri.

"We are facing a biblical catastrophe. Our entire municipality is engulfed in flames," the town's mayor, Stergios Tsirkas, told Skai television station.

According to public broadcaster ERT, the fire front now reaches more than 30 kilometers and some flames are more than 25 meters high.

High temperatures and wind gusts

"Forest fires near you. Follow the instructions of the authorities," Civil Protection wrote in messages sent to residents in the area, with details of where to evacuate.

Authorities opened the OAKA Olympic stadium, in northern Athens, to take in the thousands of displaced people. Two firefighters were injured and 13 civilians were hospitalized for respiratory problems, according to a fire department spokesman.

Authorities deployed 670 firefighters and 183 vehicles. In addition, 32 aircrafts have been flying over the area since morning.

"We are all working around the clock," Marinos Peristeropoulos, a firefighter deployed in Grammatiko, one of the most difficult areas, told AFP. "The fire spread very quickly due to the strong wind."

Faced with the cloud of smoke that could be spotted in Athens, the Union of Pneumologists urged residents to avoid exercising outdoors, and pregnant women and frail people to limit outings.

The prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, cut short his vacation and returned to the capital Sunday night to deal with the crisis.

"Everything is burning"

Every year, numerous fires ravage parts of Greece.

But the situation is particularly worrying this year, after the warmest winter ever recorded and the earliest heat wave in its history.

For this Monday, temperatures of up to 39 ºC are forecast, with wind gusts of up to 50 km/h.

The country receives many tourists in the summer and the heat has forced the Acropolis to close during the hottest hours on several occasions.

Greece's Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister warned Saturday that half the country was at high risk of fires due to high temperatures, gusty winds and drought, until at least Aug. 15.

Giorgos Tsevas, a 48-year-old resident of Polydendri, a village near the fire front whose name means "many trees" in Greek, lamented on Sunday. "Everything is burning. I had two hundred olive trees and they are all gone," he said in despair.

France, Italy, Czech Republic, Spain and Turkey will send resources to Greece

The situation has reached such a level that from France has reported that they will send a total of 180 firefighters to help extinguish the fires.

The announcement was made by the French Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin. He assured that France will send a helicopter, 180 civil security personnel and 55 fire trucks.

They are not the only ones. The Washington Post reports that both Italy and Czech Republic will also send reinforcements. The Italians will send two water-launching planes while the Czech Republic will send 75 firefighters and 25 vehicles to assist Greece. 

Spain and Turkey will also send aid, although they have not yet reported what resources they will deploy to Greek territory to assist in extinguishing the fire or when they will arrive.