Forest Fire Continues to Spread in Greece
The forest fire that started on Sunday in the village of Varnava, located 35 kilometers north of the Greek capital Athens, continues to grow rapidly. According to the statements made by the Greek Fire Service, it was reported that the lifeless body of a woman was found in a fire that broke out in the Vrilissia region. According to the data of the Greek National Observatory, a large area of 100 thousand acres has been reduced to ashes so far due to the fire.
Firefighting efforts are currently concentrated on one front, but there are also several active fires around Marathon and Penteli, firefighting spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said. The extinguishing efforts are ongoing with the support of 702 firefighters, 199 fire trucks, 35 aircraft, volunteer teams and army personnel.
Support for Fire Fighting from Türkiye and the EU
Following Greece’s request for international assistance, the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism was activated. France plans to send 1 firefighting helicopter, 28 fire trucks and 200 firefighters, while 1 firefighting plane from Italy and 25 vehicles and 75 firefighters from the Czech Republic are on their way to provide support. 2 firefighting planes and 1 helicopter from Turkey arrived at Venizelos Airport in Athens in the morning.
Fire on its Third Day
The fire started on Sunday near Lake Marathon, about 35 kilometers northeast of Athens, and crossed Mount Pendeli before reaching the northern suburbs of the capital Athens yesterday. Many homes, businesses and vehicles were reduced to ashes in the areas of Nea Penteli, Palaia Penteli, Patima Halandriou and Vrilissia. Residential areas, two monasteries and three hospitals were evacuated due to the fire. The center of Athens was covered in thick clouds of smoke and ash, while some areas experienced power outages.
