Athens: Tuesday saw an increase in the size of a wildfire that swept through forests to the north of Athens for a second day, according to officials, as other fires to the southeast and west of the Greek capital were put out by firefighters.
An uncontrolled fire tore through forest near Dervenochoria, about 30 kilometers north of Athens, a fire service official said on Tuesday. According to Greek media, the fire put a pig farm in danger.
Tuesday saw the fading of another blaze that had started on Monday in the village of Kouvaras, some 27 kilometers southeast of the Greek capital. People had to leave their homes as the fire quickly spread to the coastal towns of Anavyssos, Lagonisi, and Saronida, fueled by shifting winds.
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A Greek fire service official said on Tuesday that 230 firefighters, assisted by 76 fire engines and five helicopters, were still working at various locations around the area.
The Greek Fire Service's Ioannis Artopoios said in a televised briefing that "civil protection forces gave an all-night fight," adding that crews have been changed to combat the fire on various fronts.
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Over 7,000 acres of land along a coast where many Athenians own vacation homes were reduced to ashes, a mayor told Greek television.
A third fire was burning about 80 kilometers west of Athens, close to the seaside resort of Loutraki, and a thick layer of white smoke could be seen from the city.
Just as the nation is recovering from the first significant heatwave of the summer, the Greek meteorological service has issued a warning that there is a high risk of fire this week. Later this week, a second heatwave is expected.
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Greece is still haunted by the wildfire catastrophe that occurred there in 2018, which claimed 101 lives in the seaside town of Mati, east of Athens.
