Wildfires trigger evacuations as they threaten Greek capital
Al Jazeera
People have been told to flee as flames start to consume towns around Athens.
Towns and villages around Athens are being evacuated as wildfires threaten to consume communities around the Greek capital.
The authorities on Monday ordered the evacuation of hospitals, a monastery and more than a dozen areas as a large fire approached. The blaze, which hundreds of firefighters are battling, is just the latest in a summer that has Greece baking in record temperatures.
The fire was burning on two separate fronts with some parts in particularly difficult to reach areas on a mountain northeast of Athens, Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said.
“Despite a hard battle and the superhuman efforts overnight, the fire spread very fast and has reached Mount Penteli,” a fire brigade official told the Reuters news agency.
Authorities were faced with “an exceptionally dangerous fire, which we have been fighting for more than 20 hours under dramatic circumstances,” Kikilias said. Conditions were exacerbated by strong winds.
