A wildfire emerged close to Athens on Monday just as the heat waves grapples the residents immensely. People from seaside resorts were immediately evacuated.
“It’s a difficult fire, the winds are really strong” with gusts reaching up to 60 kilometres (37 miles) per hour,” said Yannis Artopios, a representative from the firefighters’ team.
Greece has been experiencing a heatwave since last week, along with Italy and Spain, with central Greece experiencing temperatures as high as 44C (111F).
According to local media, the fires were being fought on two fronts by 150 firefighters supported by 30 Romanian firefighters, 150 firefighters, four helicopters, and seven water-bombing planes.
The fire quickly burned through the underbrush before moving south towards Attica and the vacation towns of Lagonissi, Anavyssos, and Saronida.
Residents were warned to flee the area by the authorities, and monks from a nearby monastery were also evacuated.
Strong winds caused a forest fire to spring out nearby the Isthmus of Corinth close to the well-known beach village of Loutraki, according to the Greek press agency ANA.
According to ANA, precautionary evacuations were also called for Loutraki.
One of Greece’s most popular tourist destinations, the Acropolis, was closed during the hottest hours for three days straight starting on Saturday in Athens, where the temperature reached 39C.
“We are in the middle of the period of fighting fires and the conditions expected will be particularly difficult and favour forest fires,” averred Artopios.
