Near Athens, evacuees find their homes destroyed by fires

French reinforcements are arriving in Greece on Wednesday to help Greek firefighters fight the wildfires that started last weekend. The fire is now contained. Evacuated residents near Athens have started to return home.

“The fire burned everything”notes Maria, in her sixties, amidst the rubble. This resident of Patima Chalandriou, a municipality from the northeastern suburbs ofAthens, is among the thousands of evacuees who were able to return home on the evening of Tuesday 13 August. The victims discovered houses, warehouses and offices ravaged by the flames. The fire started on Sunday 11 August 35 kilometers from the capital, in Varnavas, before spreading dangerously to the gates of Athens, fanned by the violent wind.

This fire that ravaged tens of thousands of hectares of vegetation is now contained according to the Greek authorities, even if pockets persist in places. More than 700 firefighters have been mobilized and foreign aid, including French, is expected on site Wednesday 14 August. In Patima Chalandriou, there is almost nothing left of Maria’s house and office. The walls, the beams… Everything is charred, blackened by the flames. The balcony is even suspended in the void.

“Here was the kitchen, she describes. Inside was our bedroom and here was the bathroom. There was the office toilet. And upstairs is what’s left of my house.”. Maria and her husband were surprised by the violence of the fire. They had only a few minutes to save their dog and cat. Everything else went up in smoke before the firefighters even arrived: “We saw the fire on top of the mountain. There was a lot, a lot of smoke, it was very black and the wind was very strong.”

“In five minutes we had to leave. We didn’t understand what was happening.”

Maria, who lives in Patima Chalandriou

to franceinfo

She assures that she will rebuild everything with the help of her family, but faced with the scale of the disaster, she finds it hard not to break down. “I wouldn’t wish this situation on anyone because it’s not the same to see it on television and to live it”she assures.

A few meters further, three residents also notice the damage caused by the fire. For example, there is absolutely nothing left of a marble warehouse. Albana has come to support her neighbor but it is difficult for the young woman to hide her anger: “We are not prepared, neither the government nor the population. We do not maintain, we do not weed. I do not know what we can do but we must do more. Europe sends us money, but we do not know what happens to this money.” This feeling is shared by many residents here, whether they are affected or not. “Every summer there are fires, there are tragedies and we do nothing”they lament.