Residents evacuated from Athens suburb as wildfire season hits Greece

Tamsin Paternoster

19 June 2024 at 0:22 pm·2-min read

Residents evacuated from Athens suburb as wildfire season hits Greece

Greece is bracing itself for what is expected to be a long wildfire season spurred by an unprecedentedly hot June, according to the country's national meteorological service.

Firefighters were called to put out a blaze that erupted in the southern suburb of Athens, Vari, which started in an uninhabited area covered by olive trees and shrubs.

Additionally, authorities issued text message evacuation alerts to the two nearby settlements of Lambrika and Kitsi.

Although no injuries were reported, fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said the blaze spread quickly due to strong winds.

"We have a new fire breaking out every 10 minutes,” Vathrakogiannis said in a televised message, adding that the situation remained "difficult".

Over 70 firefighters and 13 planes and helicopters worked to control the blaze, which closed traffic along a main highway connecting Athens to its airport.

Images on local television showed a storage facility alight with flames searing across fields of olive trees.

Residents on the Cycladean island of Naxos were also issued evacuation alerts, while those living in the village of Moutsouna were told to leave their homes as a precaution.

Scores of wildfires tackled but risks remain

The Greek fire service announced it had tackled 41 wildfires in total between Monday and Tuesday evening.

According to the National Meteorological Service, winds in Greece are predicted to be as strong as 74 kilometres per hour as temperatures climb above 40C.

Greece's Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias warned against accidentally triggering wildfires, which can spread rapidly due to wind.

Commenting on the arrest of a 30-year-old agricultural worker who caused a fire in the city of Nigrita, Kilkias said on X that "even the smallest fire can rapidly turn into a fiery front."

The European Commission recorded last year's wildfire season as one of the worst in this century, with fires leading to at least 20 deaths in Greece.

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Scores of wildfires tackled but risks remain

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