Deadly wildfires that erupted just miles from the heart of Athens, Greece, appeared to have slowed by Tuesday morning, although authorities warned they could flare up again at any moment.
According to UK Independent, he inferno claimed at least one life and forced multiple evacuations as powerful, swirling winds hampered firefighting efforts and the deployment of water-dropping aircraft.
The fire department reported shortly after midnight that a body had been discovered in a burnt structure in the suburb of Vrilissia.
According to local media, the victim was a woman. Some residents reportedly refused to abandon their homes as the flames closed in.
On Monday, a thick blanket of smoke and ash enveloped central Athens, and parts of the Greek capital experienced power outages.
However, by Tuesday morning, the scene had dramatically changed. Tourists flooded the city’s popular attractions under clear blue skies, many seemingly unaware of the fierce battle that had raged just miles away the previous night.
At its closest, the wildfire reached within approximately eight miles of the city’s core on Monday evening.
Videos shared on social media showed residents desperately assisting in efforts to contain the blaze.
The wildfire tore through pine forests that had been left tinder-dry by successive heat waves this summer.
Witnesses on the ground described how burning pine cones, carried by the wind, spread the fire rapidly from tree to tree.
Greece was placed on high alert, but late on Monday night, a drop in wind speeds offered a glimmer of hope.
Officials reported progress in controlling the massive, fast-moving blaze, which at its peak spawned flames towering over 25 meters (80 feet) high.
Meteorologists had warned of heightened wildfire risks due to weather conditions predicted to persist from Sunday through Thursday.
On Monday alone, dozens of additional wildfires ignited in various parts of Greece.
The National Observatory reported that satellite images revealed the fire had scorched approximately 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of land.
The wildfire ignited on Sunday near Lake Marathon, located about 22 miles northeast of Athens. It swept across Mount Pendeli and advanced into the capital’s northern suburbs, destroying several homes and businesses in suburban areas and nearby communities.
By Tuesday morning, Greek firefighters were bolstered by reinforcements from other countries after Athens activated Europe’s mutual civil protection mechanism, seeking international assistance.
However, many areas had to rely on local volunteers to combat the flames, fueling growing anger over the perceived shortage of firefighters in the city and the delayed request for external help.
June and July marked the hottest months ever recorded in Greece, which also experienced its warmest winter in history.
The early onset of the fire season this year has placed immense pressure on Greece’s firefighting resources.
“Firefighters have been working at full tilt for months,” said Nikos Lavranos, head of Greece’s main firefighters’ union. “They are exhausted.”
Police reported that 380 officers were involved in evacuation efforts, helping to relocate more than 250 people out of the fire’s path.
Meanwhile, wildfires also erupted in neighboring North Macedonia and Albania, prompting evacuations in both countries.
Greek Fire Department spokesperson Col. Vassileios Vathrakogiannis indicated that firefighters were no longer battling a single firefront but instead faced “many active localized blazes,” particularly around Marathon and Pendeli.
The Marathon area, historically significant as the site of the famous battle between Greeks and Persians in 490 B.C., is home to a museum and archaeological site. Fortunately, there were no immediate reports of damage to these cultural landmarks.
On Monday afternoon, three hospitals, including a children’s hospital, two monasteries, and a children’s home were evacuated. Mobile phones in the affected area received at least 30 push alerts instructing residents to flee.
“The wind would go in one direction and then in the other,” said Spyros Gorilas, a resident of the Dioni area who resorted to hosing down his house with water to protect it from the encroaching flames. “The smoke was suffocating. You couldn’t see. Your eyes teared up. You couldn’t breathe.”
“Even the helicopter that dropped water, you couldn’t see it,” he continued. “You could only hear it.”
Three Athens hospitals were placed on heightened alert, and paramedics treated five firefighters for minor burns and respiratory issues, while at least 13 civilians required medical attention.
In response to the crisis, Greece’s coast guard rerouted all ferries from a nearby port serving several Aegean Sea islands to an alternative harbor.
Wildfires are a frequent occurrence in the Mediterranean country during its scorching, dry summers, but officials have emphasized that climate change is exacerbating the severity and frequency of these blazes.
