August 13, 2024 – 08:15
The Times newspaper wrote that the forest fire in Greece, which broke out on Sunday evening and has caused serious problems since then, may continue on Tuesday. BBCThe fire has already claimed a life: firefighters found the body of a woman in a shop in Vrilissia, north of Athens. The fire has also affected the northwestern suburbs of Athens. Thousands of people have already been rescued near Athens, and although there is no active fire front in the Attica region, there are still several smaller local fire nests, especially around Marathon and Penteli.
According to the press release issued on Monday evening, the new fires could pose a danger not only on Tuesday, but also for the rest of the week. More than 700 firefighters, 199 fire engines and 35 aircraft were involved in extinguishing the fires, and two firefighters suffered burns during the extinguishing operation. According to the authorities, fires broke out in 40 different places on Monday, and in some areas the flames reached 25 meters in height.
The Greek government has already requested the activation of the European Union's civil defense mechanism to control the fires around Athens, MTI wrote earlier. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cut short his vacation and returned to Athens on Sunday to deal with the crisis caused by the fires. Greek authorities have also indicated that they are waiting for French, Italian, Romanian and Czech firefighting units and aircraft capable of fighting the fires from the air, but Spain, Cyprus and Turkey have also offered their assistance.
Due to breathing problems caused by the thick smoke, many people were taken to hospital, and several settlements were temporarily evacuated. The evacuees were accommodated in sports halls and in the area of the Athens Sports Center, while passenger traffic was diverted from the nearby port of Rafina to the port of Laurium.
