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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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.
The fire led to the evacuation of the historic town of Marathon, 40 km northeast of Athens, which has more than 7,000 inhabitants, on Sunday night. At least five more localities were evacuated in the early hours of the 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 northern 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”Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, spokesman for the fire service, explained at 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.
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 since statistics began to be collected in 1960.
