Greece fires: Devastating blaze covers Athens suburbs in ashes as threat continues

Many in the region expressed shock at how close the fire had come to central Athens, claiming they had been caught unawares, Rich Booth reports from Greece.

Stavros Sdrolias, a student who lives in nearby Chalandri, was one of many volunteers who rushed to help put out fires on Monday.

The 21-year-old said the smoke was “unbelievable”, adding that, at the height of the fires, you couldn’t leave the house as it was impossible to breathe.

“At 8pm I went to a centre that was housing people who had been evacuated, to help. We then planned to give the firefighters food, but when we arrived at the flames we realised we needed to help. We were running around with buckets of water for two hours.”

Other volunteers at the scene came from Athens city centre, including a man who had lost his house in the deadly fires of 2018, which killed 104 people.

Stavros added: “The fire was focused on Anapafseos [St]– it’s a long road that doesn’t even have one fire hydrant. It’s ridiculous. Firefighters were having to drive 10 minutes back and forth to get water.”

One woman died in Vrilissia, a municipality with a population of 32,000.

Locals said she was in her sixties and became trapped in a building, too afraid to jump from the window. Her body was found inside by firefighters.

Other businesses in the area were destroyed, with residents reporting explosions throughout the night.

Greece continued to battle deadly wildfires on Tuesday, 48 hours after a giant wall of flame spread to just six miles from Athens city centre.

The fires had eased by the morning, but fears over strong winds reigniting pockets meant that the authorities were on high alert as helicopters swooped over the city dropping water on several areas.

The Independent’s Rich Booth reports from Greece:

In the wake of the 2023 wildfires in Greece, our travel correspondent Simon Calder writes:

British travellers must reappraise their travel preferences. Extreme heat appears to be becoming a feature of some Mediterranean countries, especially in July and August.

Doing what we have always done, summer after summer, is not necessarily the correct answer.

If temperatures continue to rise, a more northerly destination will be more appropriate and less environmentally damaging. A wide range of holiday locations are unlikely to encounter extreme heat, for example:

• British seaside resorts.
• Overseas nations close to the UK including Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands.
• The Baltic coast of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Curiously, weather-informed choice already happens in the reverse direction. UK holidaymakers are famously responsive to wet British summers.

If it rains relentlessly from June to September, tour operators know to expect strong bookings for overseas holidays for the following summer.

Greece’s worst wildfire this year continued to spread into the Athens suburbs on Monday evening after first igniting on Sunday afternoon, forcing hundreds of people to flee homes and hospitals.

Tourists on the hills around the Acropolis watched as smoke spread over the busy city.

A warning has been issued to anyone near affected areas to exercise caution when leaving the house due to the density of the smoke. Power cuts were reported in several parts of the capital, now thick with the smell of burning.

The fire was burning in a wide arc on the capital’s northeastern fringes, sending a blanket of smoke over central Athens on Sunday. There has been no disruption reported at Athens airports where those landing and taking off could see a wall of smoke darkening the sky on Monday morning.

Rich Booth reports from Athens:

More than 700 firefighters, backed by 27 special wildfire teams, and armed forces personnel were battling the flames overnight.

Around 190 vehicles, 17 water-dropping planes and 16 helicopters were also deployed to the affected areas.

The wildfire raced through pine forests left tinder-dry by repeated heat waves this summer.

June and July were the hottest months ever recorded in Greece, which also recorded its warmest winter ever. An early start of the fire season this year has strained Greece’s firefighting force

“Firefighters have been working at full tilt for months,” said Nikos Lavranos, head of Greece’s main firefighters’ union. “They are exhausted.”

Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said earlier Monday it was “an exceptionally dangerous fire, which we have been fighting for more than 20 hours under dramatic circumstances.”

Some areas burning on Mount Pendeli were particularly hard to reach, he added.

A blanket of smoke and ash shrouded central Athens while power cuts hit parts of the Greek capital and affected traffic lights at major central junctions.

Authorities said at least 18 people were injured, mostly due to smoke inhalation as the blaze reached outlying sections of a suburb.

Athens hospitals continue to be on heightened alert as paramedics and ambulances treat five firefighters for light burns and breathing problems, and at least 13 civilians.

The Athens Medical Association warned those with chronic conditions, the elderly, pregnant women, children and those with respiratory and heart problems to be extra cautious.