ATHENS - Greece’s worst wildfire this year spread into the Athens suburbs on Monday, forcing hundreds of people to flee as it tourched trees, homes, and cars overnight and chocked busy roads with smoke and ash.
The government has called in help from fellow EU members to tackle the fire that is burning out of control for a second day, fanned by gale force winds that pushed it from the wooded hills north of the city.
Firefighters said flames, threatening apartment blocks, schools and businesses, has reached the deepest into the capital for over two decades.
More than 700 firefighters backed by volunteers, 199 fire engines and 35 waterbombing aircraft have been battling the conflagration that broke out at 3 p.m. on Sunday near the village of Varnavas 32 km north of Athens.
Greece has activated the European Civil protection mechanism and is expecting assistance from France, Italy, the Czech Republic with aircraft and firefighters. It has also been offered help by Spain and Turkey.
“The situation remains extremely difficult”, said Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, a fire brigade spokesperson. “There are continuous flare-ups, constantly creating new outbreaks and spreading rapidly, aided by very strong winds”.
Summers in Greece have long been marked by wildfires but hotter, drier weather linked to a climate change have made blazes more frequent and intense. Wildfires fanned by extreme heat have also raged in parts of Spain and the Balkans.
コメント