A fire near Athens. Photo: ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia
A fire that broke out northeast of Athens on Sunday was fully extinguished after only three days. During this disaster, one person died, dozens of houses were charred, and a huge area was devastated.
Currently, no active forest fires have been recorded in the capital region, but officials remain on high alert. “We continue to spray water and maintain a presence in the affected areas,” a spokesman for the Greek Fire Service said in a statement to the BBC.
Thanks to the weakening of the wind and the considerable efforts of the rescuers, it was possible to bring the flames under control. However, with gusty winds and temperatures well above 30 degrees Celsius, the risk of new fires remains high.
As a result of the fire, a 63-year-old woman died, whose body was found in a shop in the city of Patima Khalandriu. The fire also destroyed 40,470 hectares of land, injuring dozens of people, including firefighters. Thousands of residents were forced to evacuate.
A huge cloud of smoke that hung over Athens cleared on Tuesday, but the sky remained hazy.
Greek authorities are now assessing the damage and preparing compensation programs for affected residents and businesses. More than 700 firefighters, including international rescue teams, 199 fire trucks and 35 water jets were involved in extinguishing the fire. At the peak of the fire, the flames reached a height of 25 meters, and by Monday the fire had spread to 40 different locations.
Among the most affected areas are the suburbs of Nea Pentheli, Vrilisia and Patima Halandriou. In Vrilisia, located only 14 km from the center of Athens, the fire destroyed buildings and businesses.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cut short his vacation to personally monitor the situation. After the activation of the EU’s common civil protection mechanism, aid to Greece came from countries such as Italy, France, Serbia, Spain, the Czech Republic and Romania, which provided aircraft, personnel and other resources to fight the fire.
