- Fire continues near Athens, evacuating villages
The Greek fire brigade has not been able to stop the large fire that has been raging since Sunday afternoon on the northern outskirts of Athens. Residents of twelve villages have been called upon via SMS to leave their homes in the region around Marathon and Penteli, a spokesman for the fire brigade announced on Greek radio. "At dawn, we will deploy 29 fire-fighting aircraft and helicopters," he said. Penteli is about 15 kilometers, and Marathon about 30 kilometers north of the Greek capital. According to Greek media, numerous people have been taken to hospitals with respiratory problems, and two hospitals have had to be evacuated, as the government announced.
Thick smoke clouds over Athens
Due to the strong smoke formation, a thick gray-brown cloud hung over Athens for hours. The smoke extended over more than 100 kilometers and reached the Peloponnese peninsula, as residents reported and could be seen on satellite images.
In the region around Athens and in large parts of Central Greece, the highest level of fire danger is currently reported by the civil protection. The situation will remain extremely dangerous in the coming days, the civil protection announced. It has not rained properly in most regions of Greece for months.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis interrupts vacation
For the people fleeing the flames, the government has opened the facilities of the Olympic Stadium in northern Athens and other sports halls, as well as hotels providing rooms, as the hoteliers' association announced. Tourist facilities are not currently threatened, reporters on site reported. Numerous residents remained in their homes and fought the flames with garden hoses.
Due to the dramatic development, the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis interrupted his vacation and returned to Athens, a government spokesman announced. Numerous units of the fire brigade from southern and western Greece arrived in Athens during the night, according to media reports.
Drought and winds can cause large fires
Meteorologists and civil protection have warned repeatedly in recent days: Due to the extreme drought and strong winds currently blowing around the Aegean, any small fire can spread to a large fire within minutes.
The evacuated hospitals have transferred their patients to other medical facilities to ensure their safety due to the smoke and poor air quality from the fire. The smoke from the fire has led to an increase in respiratory problems, with hospitals in the Athens area reporting a high number of patients seeking treatment.
