Greek resort engulfed by wildfires as residents flee for their lives across the sea – World News
Wildfires in the north of Athens leapt back to life on Thursday as emergency crews battled blazes across the country for a third day with Evia facing evacuation measures
Image: NurPhoto/PA Images)
A Greek resort has been engulfed by flames as residents fled for their lives.
Wildfires in the north of Athens leapt back to life on Thursday as emergency crews battled blazes across the country for a third day.
Searing flames glowed in the night on the outskirts of the Greek capital Athens.
Residents fled suburbs, asylum seekers were evacuated and authorities warned of more blazes on Friday as temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius (107 Fahrenheit) with gale force wind expected to fan the flames further.
Health officials said 12 people were taken to hospital including two volunteer firefighters who were treated for burns in intensive care.
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Image:
NurPhoto/PA Images)
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said emergency services faced a difficult night with westerly winds increasing and urged people to comply with evacuation orders and avoid unnecessary travel.
In a televised address he said: “We are dealing with unprecedented conditions as many days of heatwave have turned the whole country into a powder keg.”
Large parts of neighbouring Turkey are also in flames as smoke-filled skies added to images of floods and fire seen across Europe this summer.
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NurPhoto/PA Images)
On the island of Evia, close to Athens, church bells rang on Thursday to warn of the fires.
Some 25 villages on the island have already been evacuated from the beach resort of Agia Anna.
Flames ravaged trees and houses as onlookers film from the sea in horror while empty sunbeds can be seen on a white sandy beach as flames light up the sky behind.
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NurPhoto/PA Images)
“The situation is out of control. The flames are more than 40 metres high,” the local mayor George Tsapourniotis told Alpha Television as coastguard vessels headed to the area to help with the evacuation.
Mr Mitsotakis said defences against the reality of climate change had to be strengthened.
He said there would be time for “criticism and self-criticism” of the government’s handling of the crisis and urged citizens to remain united.
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Earlier, he visited an area in the western Peloponnese near the site of the ancient Olympic Games where emergency services fought all night to save one of Greece’s best known archaeological sites.
In the suburbs of Athens firefighters, backed by water bombing planes and helicopters, had managed to control some of the blazes.
But the heat fanned them back into life and flames crossed the motorway connecting Athens to northern Greece and threatening more built-up areas.
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NurPhoto/PA Images)
Late on Thursday afternoon, authorities ordered the evacuation of a clutch of suburbs to the north of Athens and moved a group of asylum seekers from the nearby Malakasa migrant reception centre.
Scores of wildfires have broken out across Greece since Tuesday, destroying houses, forcing the evacuation of dozens of towns and villages and burning thousands of acres of forest land.
The Civil Protection Authority issued an “extreme fire warning” for half the country on Friday amid the heatwave.
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Image:
NurPhoto/PA Images)
The finance ministry announced emergency payments of up to 6,000 euros ($7,100) for people who had lost possessions and said more measures would follow.
Local utilities said there could be rolling power cuts in some parts of the Attica region around the capital due to the
fire.
Deputy Citizens’ Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias announced that access to parks and forests will be forbidden in the coming days.
Additional firefighters and aircraft were expected to arrive from France, Sweden, Romania and Switzerland.
