A forest fire broke out on Saturday afternoon on Mount Parnitha near Athens, while authorities warned of the very high risks of such fires breaking out in six regions in Greece. Across Greece, a total of forty forest fires have broken out since dawn, fire services announced.
Reinforcements are currently being sent from several other parts of Greece to help control the blaze in the vicinity of the capital, fire brigade spokesman Vasilis Vathrakogiannis told reporters.
“In general, the prevailing conditions are difficult and dangerous,” he stressed. In addition to the wind speed, which sometimes exceeded 100 km/h, the density of high-voltage power line pylons also hampers the intervention of firefighting planes, of which there are only four. There are therefore mainly twelve helicopters which are currently at work, added Vathrakogiannis.
The spokesperson also praised the contribution of the numerous volunteer firefighters present on site as well as the water tankers provided by the Attica region – where Athens is located – and the general staff of the army. .
For the moment, the winds do not seem to be blowing towards the residential areas, spreading the flames towards an area of Mount Parnitha which has been burned during previous disasters. Saturday’s began in the Katsimidi forest sector. However, the strong gusts sent smoke towards the center of the Greek capital where a smell of burning wood is perceptible.
“There is no longer an active front” in Katsimidi “but the fight is not yet over even if the situation has improved,” assured the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Vasilis Kikilias, in the evening.
According to his ministry’s forecast for Sunday, a very high fire risk (category 4) is faced by the Attica region, the southern Peloponnese peninsula, the island of Crete, the northern and southern parts of the sea Aegean and central Greece. A forest fire also broke out on Saturday afternoon 20 km northwest of Athens, while another in the town of Keratea, in eastern Attica, was brought under control by the authorities who had evacuated two villages.
Accustomed to the scorching heat of summer, Greece has been bracing for weeks for a particularly difficult season in terms of fires. After the hottest winter on record, the country experienced its first heatwave last week, with temperatures exceeding 44°C in some areas. In 2023, a two-week heatwave was followed by devastating forest fires that killed 20 people.
