Athens seaside town evacuated as deadly wildfires rage near Greek capital
13 August 2024, 16:41
A seaside town less than an hour from Athens has been evacuated as Greece suffers a summer of deadly wildfires.
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A new evacuation notice for the Greek seaside town of Nea Makr was issued on Tuesday, as firefighters battle the deadly wildfires.
The wildfires, fueled by high winds, have ripped through towns near the Greek capital this week killing at least one person.
More than 700 firefighters, 199 vehicles and 35 water-bombing aircraft have been deployed since Sunday, Greek public broadcaster ERT reports.
Wildfires have spread uncharacteristically quickly in recent days, fueled by high winds and a period of prolonged droughts, burning 156 square miles, said the climate crisis and civil protection minister, Vassilis Kikilias.
The fire is believed to have begun on Sunday afternoon, around 22 miles northeast of Athens, sending a plume of smoke into the city centre.
One heartbroken man recalled hearing his pets and livestock dying as the blaze engulfed his property.
“We are at God’s mercy, I could hear them dying,” Dimitris told Greek TV.
"My house was utterly destroyed, even the walls fell down. There's nothing left," said Sakis Morfis, 70, of the evacuated town Vrilissia.
"There is nothing left. There's no morale, no courage, there's no money anymore, everything was destroyed... The only thing I cared about was saving my dogs, so I left everything (else) behind."
Greece activated the European Civil protection mechanism in the wake of the deadly fires and is expecting aid from France, the Czech Republic and Italy in the form of aircraft and firefighters.
Spain and Turkey have also offered their support.
Despite the dire situation, officials have said the overall picture looks “improved” on Tuesday.
"The overall picture looks improved but there are still many fronts in various areas," said a fire brigade official.
