Greece’s civil protection minister warned on Saturday that half of the country was at high risk of fires until at least August 15 due to high temperatures, gusty winds and drought.
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The Greek Civil Protection ordered, on Monday, August 12, the evacuation of several towns in the northeastern suburbs of Athens, threatened by a violent fire that started on Sunday and is growing in size. This is particularly the case of the historic town of Marathon, 40 km northeast of Athens, which has more than 7,000 inhabitants.
At least five new towns were evacuated in the early morning, as well as two hospitals, one pediatric and one military, in Penteli, about fifteen kilometers northeast of the capital. The Greek authorities opened the OAKA Olympic stadium, in the north of Athens, to accommodate the thousands of displaced people.
“All the civil protection forces fought all night and despite superhuman efforts, the fire continues to spread very quickly and is heading towards Penteli”explained Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, spokesman for the fire brigade, during a press briefing.
A total of 510 firefighters and 152 vehicles have been deployed, and 29 aircraft have been flying over the area since daybreak, he added. They will be reinforced by “180 members of the civil security personnel of the fire brigade and 55 trucks”who are leaving France on Monday, according to Gérald Darmanin. “We will help Greece with these very important means”announced the resigning Interior Minister at a press conference.
A European Union spokesperson stressed that “The EU Civil Protection Mechanism was activated at the request of the Greek authorities”In addition to France, Italy, the Czech Republic and Romania will send reinforcements.
Greece’s civil protection minister warned Saturday that half of the country was at high risk of wildfires until at least August 15 due to high temperatures, gusty winds and drought. June and July were the hottest months on record in Greece since statistics began in 1960.