Dozens of fires stretch capacity of authorities

Worst blazes near Athens, on Rhodes

A volunteer firefighter tries to get a fire extinguisher working as flames ravage land behind him near Kryoneri, north of Athens. It took firefighting forces several hours to extinguish the blaze, which started at Varibombi, some 3 kilometers away, as resources were scattered across the country tackling dozens of blazes.

Firefighters struggled to douse more than 60 blazes that broke out across the country yesterday, including a large fire north of Athens and another that was burning the island of Rhodes for a third day.

The fire that broke out north of Athens, in the area of Varibombi, at around 2 p.m. quickly spread eastward to Kryoneri, fanned by strong winds. At least two warehouses and a home were damaged by the flames, though no injuries were reported. Traffic police blocked off a key section of highway after the fire approached the roadside. Meanwhile, dozens of residents fled their homes and local factories were evacuated. The Hellenic Railways Organization (OSE) also suspended some northbound trains from the capital due to the fire. A rescue effort involving five aircraft and some 20 fire engines had brought the blaze under control by late last night. According to sources, it took firefighters longer than it should have to contain the Varibombi blaze as many resources had been dispatched elsewhere to tackle other blazes.

One of yesterday’s most serious fires was on Rhodes, where strong winds continued to fan a blaze that broke out near the central village of Laerma on Monday. The fire, which spread southward over two days, is believed to have burnt at least 1,000 hectares of forestland. Local firefighters said that the elderly and very young local residents had been evacuated from their homes as the flames came very close to the village limits. “We really struggled to save the village from the fire,” Rhodes Prefect Yiannis Machairidis told Kathimerini.

The fires in Varibombi and on Rhodes were not the only large ones that fueled concerns yesterday.

A blaze that broke out near Mesolongi in central Greece spread to the ancient site of Calydon, though it was unclear by late yesterday how much damage had been caused. The Culture Ministry said that the area had been cleared of dry grass recently.

A fire on the islet of Salamina, off Piraeus, also provoked a large-scale response. A team of 24 firefighters was dispatched to douse the blaze, working with eight fire engines aided by a water-dropping helicopter.

Another of yesterday’s fires broke out in a mine belonging to the Public Power Corporation (PPC) in the prefecture of Arcadia. PPC said that the fire, which was swiftly brought under control, had been caused by an “insulator.”