Greece fighting dozens of wildfires, braces itself for worse to come

Athens - A large wildfire broke out in the south-east of Athens on the afternoon of June 30, amid warnings that the worst of the summer heat is yet to come.

Accustomed to scorching summers, Greece faces a tough wildfire season after its warmest winter and earliest heatwave on record, with temperatures hitting 44 deg C.

According to Athens News Agency, the fire started in Keratea district on the morning of June 30 and was burning close to houses, while strong winds were blowing in the area.

Ertnews channel reported that at least three houses were completely destroyed by the fire.

Some 140 firefighters, with teams of forest commandos, 39 vehicles, eight helicopters and nine aircraft were working to control the flames.

The emergency alert system was activated, urging residents to evacuate from six areas near the capital.

It came a day after another wildfire had erupted in the same area, sparking evacuation orders, but was later successfully controlled.

Separately, a large wildfire broke out on Serifos island on the afternoon of June 29, but was also brought under control by firefighters early on June 30.

“All of south-western Serifos has burned. We are talking about an area where the fire stopped at the sea,” Serifos mayor Konstantinos Revintis told MEGA TV.

The fire caused damage to houses, cottages, warehouses and chapels, according to the mayor.

The Fire Danger Forecast Map issued for June 30 by the Civil Protection Ministry predicted a very high category 4 risk of fire for Attica, the Peloponnese, Crete, the North and South Aegean Regions, and central Greece.

A wildfire ignited on the afternoon of June 29 in the area of Mount Parnitha – known as “the lungs of Athens” – but was controlled by the evening with the help of reinforcements from other regions as well as volunteer firefighters.

More than 40 wildfires erupted across Greece on June 29, with wind speeds exceeding 100kmh, according to fire brigade sources.

In his weekly Facebook post on June 30, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called on Greeks to brace themselves for a difficult wildfire season.

“The difficult times are still ahead of us. Our effort is continuous. In this effort, our allies are new tools that build a new culture of prevention and responsibility,” he said.

“The fire in Parnitha was extremely difficult, but it was detected immediately, thanks to aerial surveillance with drones that we have implemented this year for the forests and mountainous areas of Attica,” he added. AFP