Greek authorities on Monday ordered the evacuation of new towns in the northeastern suburbs of Athens, after that of the city of Marathon the day before, in the face of a violent fire that started on Sunday and is rapidly approaching the capital.
Simos Roussos, the mayor of Chalandri, one of Athens’ largest suburbs with more than 70,000 inhabitants, asked residents of areas near the fire to leave their homes.
“Due to the wind direction, we decided on a preventive evacuation […] “The fire is very close,” he told public broadcaster ERT.
As of Monday morning, five localities have already been evacuated, as well as two hospitals, one pediatric and the other military, in Penteli, about fifteen kilometers northeast of the capital.
“The civil protection forces fought all night and despite superhuman efforts, the fire continues to spread very quickly and is heading towards Penteli,” Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, spokesman for the fire brigade, explained at a press briefing.
The fire had already led to the evacuation on Sunday evening of eight villages and the historic town of Marathon, 40 km northeast of Athens, which has more than 7,000 inhabitants.
“Forest fire near you. Follow the instructions of the authorities,” civil protection wrote in text messages sent to residents of the region.
Greek authorities have opened the OAKA Olympic Stadium in northern Athens to accommodate thousands of displaced people. Two firefighters were injured and 13 people were hospitalized with respiratory problems, according to a firefighter spokesman.
The fire has revived memories of the Mati fire disaster, the coastal area near Marathon, where 104 people died in July 2018 in a tragedy blamed on evacuation delays and errors.
“We are facing a biblical catastrophe. Our entire municipality is engulfed in flames,” Marathon Mayor Stergios Tsirkas told Skai TV.
According to ERT, the fire front now extends over more than 30 kilometres.
A total of 670 firefighters and 183 vehicles have been deployed, and 32 aircraft are flying over the area, Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said.
“The winds are still 7 today [sur 13, NDLR] on the Beaufort scale. Despite a rapid intervention yesterday in just five minutes, we were unable to control the fire,” the minister noted.
“We are all working around the clock,” Marinos Peristeropoulos, a firefighter deployed to Grammatiko, one of the most difficult fire sites, told AFP. “The fire spread very quickly because of the strong wind.”
As smoke reaches the Greek capital, the Union of Pulmonologists has warned against exercising outdoors, and that pregnant women and vulnerable people should limit their trips outdoors.
The fires prompted Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to cut short his holiday and return to Athens on Sunday evening.
Burnt olive trees
Extreme weather conditions are expected to continue throughout the week, with smoke now covering parts of Athens.
Temperatures of 39 degrees Celsius and winds exceeding 50 km/h are expected in the region on Monday, according to the weather service.
Greece is particularly vulnerable to wildfires after a particularly dry winter. June and July were the hottest months since records began in 1960.
Giorgos Tsevas, 48, from Polydendri, a village near the front of the fire and whose name means “many trees” in Greek, was in despair on Sunday: “Everything is burning. I had 200 olive trees, they are all gone.”
Scientists warn that fossil fuel emissions are worsening the duration, frequency and intensity of heatwaves around the world.
According to IPCC experts, rising temperatures are leading to a longer wildfire season and an increase in the area burned worldwide.
Other parts of Europe are also struggling with high temperatures.
In Italy, hit by one of the worst droughts in 50 years, temperatures are expected to reach 38°C in Rome on Monday, with nighttime temperatures struggling to come down. In Palermo, temperatures reached 26°C overnight from Sunday to Monday.
In the south of the Netherlands, temperatures between 32 and 35 °C are expected. And in Paris, the mercury is expected to reach 36 / 38 °C.