Athens Forest Fires: Inferno Destroys Homes, Leads to Massive Evacuation

Hundreds of people were evacuated as Sunday’s forest fires approached the northern suburbs of Athens within 24 hours.

The wildfire that started at Varnavas, northeast of Athens, has spread southwards closer to the Greek capital, like lightning, covering at least 13 miles (20 kilometers) within hours.

Houses burned down in the suburbs of Vrilissia and Nea Penteli, whilst businesses and shops were seen on media footage being engulfed by the blaze.

The Civil Protection Authority announced late on Monday afternoon that the EU Civil Protection mechanism had been activated, with many European nations sending aid to Greece.

The fire reached Mount Penteli earlier on Monday. According to the Fire Services, messages had been sent for the evacuation of Nea Penteli and Palia Penteli, urging citizens to move southwards towards the suburbs of Vrilissia and Chalandri.

In the early morning hours of Monday, the Penteli Children’s Hospital, the 414 Military hospital, and the Monastery of Penteli were evacuated.

The Civil Protection Emergency Line 112 has been continuously sending evacuation messages to residents and summer vacationers, but many locals refuse to leave, as they want to protect their homes and businesses.

More than thirty evacuation-order messages have been issued since Sunday evening, according to the latest Fire Service update.

A total of 700 firefighters with 27 teams on foot, including “forest commandos,” 183 firetrucks, and 32 water-dropping aerial means (17 aircraft and 15 helicopters), are operating at multiple wildfire fronts. A large number of volunteers and locals are also present and operating. They are being assisted by heavy machinery and water trucks of the municipalities.

The situation as of Monday evening remained critical in the areas of Penteli, Vrilissia, Chalandri and Gerakas with more areas seeing the rekindling of blazes that had been put out earlier in the day.

Athens forest fires remain especially ferocious

Wildfires which have broken out in many areas of northeastern Attica are still raging well into the evening.

The strong winds, the gusts of which reach 7 on the Beaufort scale, are making the work of the civil protection forces difficult, stated the press representative of the Fire Brigade Vassilis Vathrakogiannis at a press briefing on Monday afternoon.

Apart from Penteli and Vrilissia, other major wildfires in the Attica region are near the historic town of Marathon as well as Nea Makri, both northeast of Athens.

Television footage shows flames engulfing factories and shops in Gerakas, while helicopters were trying to douse the fire in the surrounding areas.

Monasteries, hospitals and thousands of homes have been evacuated so far.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the fire brigade’s operations center on Monday morning after rushing back from a vacation on the island of Crete—with memories of a 2018 fire that killed 104 people in the seaside town of Mati, near the capital, still fresh.

Main opposition leader Stefanos Kasselakis visited the hit areas of Chalandri where he spoke with firefighters, volunteers as well as the local mayor, Symeon Roussos.

After its warmest winter on record and long periods of little or no rainfall, Greece is forecast to record its hottest-ever summer. It is on high wildfire alert at least until Thursday, with temperatures of up to 40° Celsius (104° Fahrenheit) being forecast.

“Unfortunately the forecasts…were confirmed,” Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said in a televised statement. The state’s response was immediate, he said, and the first air tankers went into operation within five minutes of the wildfire breaking out.