Fierce flames forces thousands of residents Athens’ northern suburbs to evacuate blazing regions
Thick clouds of smoke shrouded the Greek capital on Saturday as forest fires raged out of control on the northeast outskirts of Athens, destroying homes and forcing thousands of residents to evacuate blazing regions. Aircraft from Italy and France Sunday were to aid Greece in fighting fires .
Officials say residents of Agios Stefanos, 14 miles north of the capital, have been instructed to leave their homes after the fires reached residential areas.
As the fires raged for a third day, a state of emergency was declared in greater Athens.
“The situation is tragic. Fires are out of control on many fronts,” local governor Yiannis Sgouros said.
The fires were said to be the worst on the Greek mainland since 2007, when at least 65 people were killed. The authorities said Saturday’s wildfires broke out late Friday near the village of Grammatiko, about 25 miles northeast of the center of Athens. Fanned by gale-force winds, the flames spread to the neighboring towns of Varnava and Marathon, an ancient Greek landmark, early Saturday. Soldiers were ordered to move anti-aircraft missiles and ammunition from a military base in Varnava.
Many residents tried desperately to save their homes with hoses, buckets and branches. Planes swooped low over the town to pour water on the flaming houses.
“I call on all residents to follow the instructions of the police as to where they will go,” an emotional Agios Stefanos deputy mayor Panayiotis Bitakos told Skai TV. “We had been begging the authorities since early in the morning to send forces … It is too late now. Too late.”
The forests around Athens’ northern suburbs have helped the fire leap to new areas.
“The pine cones are like projectiles — they cover long distances, too, and spread the fire around,” said Avraam Pasipoularidis, mayor of the northern suburb of Drossia. “Everything around me is burning.”
The fires ignited late Friday; by Sunday they were reported across an area more than 25 miles (40 kilometers) wide. They started in the mountains near the town of Marathon, from which the modern long-distance foot race takes its name. The army removed anti-aircraft missiles from a nearby military base as the flames approached.
Municipal officials said the fire was threatening the archaeological site of Rhamnus, home to two 2,500-year-old temples.
Blazes north of Athens had earlier forced authorities to evacuate two large children’s hospitals, camp sites, villages and outlying suburban areas.
Alexios, a resident of the threatened Athens suburb of Dionysos, told of his scramble to leave his home on web messaging site Twitter.
“Signing off, the power’s out. Fires near Rodopoli (West of Dionysos) and approaching Rapendoza (just East of Dionysos),” he wrote on Saturday evening.
An hour later, he gave the update: “Evacuating Dionysos. Stuck in traffic with two terrrified dogs and hundreds of panicky drivers. Wish me luck.”
Fortunately Alexios was able to reach the city centre. He wrote an hour afterwards: “Escaped the evacuee convoy early, safely in Athens proper (dogs safe too).”
Those who have left their homes now face an anxious wait to see if the flames will engulf their homes.
With planes and helicopters grounded after nightfall, Fire Service officials said their effort – aided by a lull in strong winds – was concentrated on protecting more than six towns where homes were under threat.
Volunteers and army conscripts helped hundreds of firefighters ring the endangered towns.
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis said: “Firefighters are working in extremely difficult circumstances.
“Our priority is the protection of human life and property.”
Italy and France each were sending two water-bombers and Cyprus was to send a helicopter, CNN reported Sunday.
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