Greece - Fire in northern Athens extinguished - fire risk remains high
With the use of 15 helicopter firefighting helicopters and firefighting planes, along with hundreds of firefighters and volunteers, the Greek Fire Department managed to put out a large fire in a densely forested area about 20 kilometers north of Athens. The Fire Department announced this. The fire broke out on Saturday. Strong winds produced large gray-brown smoke plumes over the Greek capital. In many places, there was a smell of burnt wood and ash was falling.
According to the Fire Department's announcement on Sunday, dozens of other fires had broken out in almost all regions of Central Greece and on some islands, the worst one being on the holiday island of Serifos. Six settlements had to be evacuated temporarily there. The mayor of Serifos stated on Greek radio (ERT) on Sunday that the fire had been brought under control at night.
The Civil Protection warned on Sunday once again: The fire danger remains high after a long rainless period and several weeks with temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius. In addition, heavy winds raged over the weekend, whose gusts, according to the meteorological office, reached a strength of eight. Tourist facilities, according to reports from Greek radio (ERT), were not near the fire areas.
- Greece relies heavily on its fire-fighting aircraft during periods of high fire hazard, as demonstrated by the recent forest fire near Athens.
- Tourists visiting Athens were fortunate to not be affected by the fire as most facilities are located away from forested areas.
- The Fire Department in Athens is preparing for another busy Sunday with reports of multiple fires spreading across Central Greece and some islands, including a major incident on the tourist destination of Serifos.
- To ensure the safety of visitors, Athens' fire department is working diligently with fire-fighting aircraft and ground personnel to extinguish these fires and minimize damage to fire-prone Greek forests and delicate tourism landscapes.
