Greek authorities have announced that the worst forest fire in the country this year has resulted in one death and is still ongoing on the outskirts of the capital, Athens, on Tuesday. However, a decrease in wind strength and efforts to combat the fire have helped reduce its intensity. Hundreds of firefighters, supported by fire trucks and water-dumping aircraft, are battling the blaze that erupted on Sunday near the village of Varnava, about 35 kilometers north of Athens, burning homes, vehicles, and areas of dry forest.
The fire spread from the forest and hills to the suburbs on Monday due to strong winds, causing the city to be choked with smoke and ash and inducing panic in neighborhoods that haven’t experienced a fire this close in decades. The fire reached Fyli at about 14 kilometers from central Athens a day prior, where a deceased person was discovered, according to the firefighters. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Winds are expected to strengthen again later today, and the country will remain on high alert for fire risks until Thursday, with predictions of strong winds and temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius. Greece has activated the European civil protection mechanism and expects assistance from France, Italy, and the Czech Republic in sending aircraft and firefighters. Spain and Turkey have also offered help.
Residents of over 30 areas have been forced to evacuate, along with at least three hospitals, amid power outages affecting parts of the wider Athens area. The routes of passenger ferries heading to the port of Rafina, northeast of the capital, have been diverted. Police helped evacuate more than 250 individuals, and some residents spent the night in temporary shelters.
French Reinforcements
A first group of 91 firefighters from the French civil defense departed early Tuesday from Brignoles in southeastern France to Greece to assist in combating the massive fire on the outskirts of Athens. This group is part of reinforcements totaling approximately 180 rescue firefighters and 55 trucks, announced by Gerald Darmanin, France's outgoing Minister of the Interior, on Monday as part of the European Union's civil protection mechanism established in 2001.
These reinforcements traveled by land to the port of Ancona on Italy's eastern coast on a journey lasting around ten hours before heading by sea to Greece, which will take about 24 hours.
