A fast-spreading forest fire, fueled by scorching summer heat and strong winds, has spread to the outskirts of Athens, setting trees, houses and cars ablaze and prompting the evacuation of more than 25 towns and villages, Greek authorities said, quoted by Reuters, BTA reports.
Nearly 700 firefighters, supported by volunteers, 190 fire engines and 33 firefighting aircraft fought the blaze, which broke out at 3 p.m. Greek (and Bulgarian) time on Sunday near Varnavas, 35 km north of the capital Athens.
By Monday, the fire, the largest in Greece this year, had reached the outskirts of Athens' densely populated northern suburbs around the densely forested Penteli mountain, filling the air with smoke.
No deaths have been reported so far, the agency said. Rescuers and medical personnel treated 13 people for smoke inhalation and two firefighters for burns, fire department spokesman Vassilis Vatrakoiannis said.
At least 25 neighborhoods were forced to evacuate their residents, government officials said. At least three hospitals were evacuated, and parts of the wider Athens region were without power.
So far, police have helped evacuate more than 250 people, and some residents have spent the night in shelters.
Greek authorities have opened the OAKA (Athens Olympic Sports Center) Olympic Stadium in northern Athens to accommodate thousands of displaced people, AFP reported.
Summers in Greece have long been marked by forest fires, but hotter, drier weather linked to climate change has made the fires more frequent and intense. Wildfires fueled by extreme heat have also raged this month in parts of Spain and the Balkans.
As the front of flames approached backyards on the outskirts of Athens, some residents of Penteli stayed put, trying to put out the fires with hoses or branches.
Greece has experienced its warmest winter on record this year and is on track to experience its hottest summer. Large parts of the country, including the site of this week’s fire, have seen little or no rain for months.
Greece is on high alert for fires until at least Thursday, with temperatures forecast to reach 40 degrees Celsius. Authorities have called for an emergency response involving the army, police and volunteers during this period.
According to the fire department, the flames reached a height of up to 25 meters on Sunday and spread "like lightning". As night fell, thick smoke darkened the skies over Athens.
On Monday, the fire reached the village of Gramatiko, north of Athens, the seaside municipality of Nea Makri and the town of Marathon. Areas where the fire had been contained appeared to have flared up again, fire department spokesman Vatrakoiannis said.
Passenger ferries to the port of Rafina were diverted to Lavrio, southeast of Athens, due to the advancing fire.
The fire reminded residents of a 2018 fire that killed 104 people in the seaside town of Mati, near the Greek capital, Reuters noted.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cut short his vacation on the island of Crete to visit the fire department's operations center on Monday.