Greek firefighters had to battle two forest fires near Athens on Sunday (30 June) due to strong winds, just a few hours after managing to contain the flames in a mountainous area, also near the capital, and on an island in the Aegean Sea.
Dozens of firefighters in full gear, supported by 23 fire-fighting planes, tried to put out a blaze with water cannons in a sparsely populated area near the town of Keratea, about 35 km south of Athens.
Authorities had ordered the evacuation before flames from burning pine and olive trees engulfed homes.
Another fire in the community of Stamata, north of Athens, burned through a lush pine forest, sending columns of smoke across parts of the city.
So far it has not threatened homes.
Due to the heat and wind that characterized much of Greece, dozens of forest fires broke out over the weekend and the population was advised to stay away from wooded areas.
Firefighters are still busy on the island of Serifos, where on Saturday a fire broke out among low vegetation and spread rapidly, fueled by strong winds, damaging houses and causing the evacuation of several hamlets.
The fire, which at one point spread 15 kilometers, damaged holiday homes and warehouses, the island’s mayor, Kostas Revinthis, told Greek television.
Another fire in the mountainous Parnitha forest, near a nature reserve just outside Athens, had subsided by Sunday morning, authorities said.
Forest fires are common in the Mediterranean country, but in recent years they have become more devastating due to increasingly intense, dry and windy heat waves, factors that scientists link to the effects of climate change.
After last summer’s deadly forest fires and the warmest winter on record, Greece has developed a new doctrine, which includes deploying an extra fire engine for each new fire, speeding up air support and clearing forests.
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