Greek emergency services on Tuesday tackled a huge fire in an Athens suburb that killed a woman, caused widespread damage and forced thousands of people to flee their homes.
A fire brigade spokesman told AFP that “split flames” were being dealt with but there were no longer any “cause of particular concern”.
Hundreds of firefighters with about 200 fire engines and 20 water-bombing aircraft tried to extinguish the blaze on Sunday in Varnavas, about 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Athens.
The body of a Moldovan woman was found in the burned factory and at least 66 people were treated for injuries, officials said. Five firefighters were injured.
Strong winds caused the wildfire to spread northeast of the capital, destroying dozens of homes, cars and businesses across more than 10,000 hectares (24,700 acres) of land.
Following Greece's appeal for international aid, France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia and Turkey are sending hundreds of firefighters along with helicopters, fire engines and water tankers, officials said.





'Everything was burnt'
The fire reached Mount Pentelikon above Athens and badly affected the suburbs of Nea Penteli, Palaia Penteli, Patima Halandrio and Vrilissia.
Sports halls, including the Athens Olympic Stadium, were set aside to shelter homeless people. A former Olympic hall was set aside to house over 150 rescued pets.
“We saw huge flames and at the same time (the explosions) started. We thought we were at war,” Nikos Karoulis, a 71-year-old former Greek national football team defender, told AFP in Penteli.
The body of the 60-year-old Moldovan worker was found in a factory in the suburb of Halandri. A bouquet of white flowers was placed as a tribute amid charred steel and scorched chairs and tables.
Halandri Mayor Simos Roussos told ERT state television that he saw about a dozen homes destroyed by fire in his town. He said businesses, used car and coal yards and paint warehouses were also affected.
“The fire spread over 50 kilometres and changed direction 10 times,” Roussos said.
The mayors of Penteli and Varnavas reported a dozen houses had been destroyed in their areas.
The labor ministry has banned outdoor work in fire-affected areas, as many of the factories that burned on Monday contained toxic chemicals.
Much of the capital was blanketed in acrid smog for two consecutive days, with scientists reporting a worrying increase in hazardous air particles, particularly from Sunday night to Monday night.
“I never thought there would be a fire here,” Sakis Morfis, 65, told AFP outside his burned-out home in Vrilissia.
“We have no clothes, no money, everything inside has been burnt,” he said.
Costas Tsigkas, head of the Greek Fire Officers' Union, told ERT that firefighters were on alert if the winds strengthened again.
Greece's National Observatory, itself threatened by wildfires, predicted temperatures of up to 38 degrees Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) and winds of up to 70 kilometres (44 miles) per hour on Tuesday.




'Unanswered questions'
The fire brought Greece's conservative government under fire from the press, the public, and political rivals.
About 200 people demonstrated outside parliament on Tuesday evening, with one carrying a placard reading: “They burned us! Government, ministers, you are responsible for this crime.”
“Enough is enough,” read the front page of Greece's best-selling centrist daily Ta Nea. Liberal Kathimerini said the “out of control” fires had “caused enormous destruction (and) left unanswered questions”.
“Evacuate Maximo,” the leftist Efsin newspaper said, referring to the building where the prime minister's office lives.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis returned early from holiday on Sunday because of the crisis.
“Every year we are doing our best to improve, but unfortunately conditions are becoming more difficult,” Mitsotakis said after an emergency cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
The destruction brought back memories of the fire in the coastal area of Mati, near Marathon, in July 2018, when delays and errors in evacuation killed 104 people.
Greece has seen dozens of incidents during this year's summer wildfire season, while the Mediterranean country recorded its warmest winter and hottest June and July since reliable data collection began in 1960.
Scientists say the duration, frequency and intensity of heat waves are worsening worldwide due to human-caused fossil fuel emissions.
Source link