Cities evacuated as huge fire near Athens rages uncontrollably

Greek firefighters have failed to stop the large fire that has been raging since Sunday afternoon in the northern suburbs of Athens. Residents of twelve municipalities have been asked by SMS to move house in the region Marathon AND Pentels to leave, a fire department spokesman announced on Greek radio. “At dawn we will deploy 29 firefighting planes and helicopters,” he said. Penteli is about 15 kilometers north of the Greek capital and Marathon is about 30 kilometers north. Several people were taken to hospital with breathing problems, according to emergency services, Greek media reported. Two hospitals also had to be evacuated, the government announced.

Thick clouds of smoke over Athens

Due to the heavy smoke, a dense gray-brown cloud remained over Athens for hours. The smoke plumes stretched for more than 100 kilometers and reached the Peloponnese Peninsulaas residents reported and was seen on satellite images.

In the region around Athens and in much of central Greece According to information from the civil protection, the fire danger is the highest. The situation will remain extremely dangerous in the coming days, the civil protection said. It hasn’t rained properly in most regions of Greece for months.

PM Mitsotakis cuts short vacation

According to officials, the government has opened the Olympic Stadium in northern Athens and other sports arenas to people fleeing the flames. Hotels have also made rooms available, the hoteliers’ association announced. Tourist facilities have not yet been threatenedreporters on the scene unanimously reported. Several residents reportedly remained in their homes and battled the flames with garden hoses.

Due to the dramatic development, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cut short his vacation and returned to Athens, a government spokesman said. According to media reports, several firefighting units from southern and western Greece arrived in Athens overnight.

Drought and winds can cause large fires

Meteorologists and civil defense have repeatedly warned in recent days that, due to the extreme drought and strong winds currently blowing across the Aegean, any small fire could turn into a large blaze in a matter of minutes.