Two blazes continue to rage unchecked near Athens
High temperatures, dry vegetation, strong winds make for a perfect storm, officials say
Wildfire season got off to a roaring start in Greece on Monday, with two large fires burning southeast and west of the capital Athens, forcing seaside resort evacuations.
Both blazes were raging out of control at nightfall Monday and, with firefighting planes and helicopters unable to operate in the dark, this made it even more difficult for firefighters and volunteers on the ground to contain them.
High temperatures and dry conditions have turned forests into a tinderbox and, even though temperatures were more moderate than in previous days, winds picking up Monday made it almost inevitable that any fire that started would spread quickly. According to the Athens Observatory, wind gusts exceeded 50 kilometers per hour. At Kouvaras, southeast of Athens, the fire spread on a front of 12 kilometers just two hours after it was first detected, the Fire Service said.
The Fire Service was first alerted about the fire at 12.27 p.m. and the first fire engine was on location four minutes later. But the wind was too strong and the blaze was soon out of control. It was also changing direction according to the wind, alternately rushing toward the town or up a nearby mountain, local officials said.
Some houses near the town were saved by a team of Romanian firefighters, local people said.
Flammable materials, such as a stack of wooden electricity pylons, only helped the fire spread and reignite. The broadening front also threatened the seaside resort of Lagonissi and authorities sent successive messages through the EU-wide 112 emergency number for residents to evacuate.
A local official told Kathimerini that he had seen two houses and several vehicles engulfed in flames. At some point, 210 firefighters were on the ground, and 10 planes and six helicopters were also involved.
A 32-year-old was initially detained but later released. Local officials said the fire started near the main road running through Kouvaras.
The second large wildfire broke out in a wooded area near the resort town of Loutraki, some 90 kilometers west of Athens, where a children’s summer camp and rehabilitation center for seniors were evacuated, The Associated Press reported.
