
Firefighters battle blaze near Athens for second day
A fire department spokesman said over 260 firefighters with nearly 80 fire engines and 12 aircraft were deployed in Keratea, a rural area some 43 kilometers (27 miles) southeast of Athens.
'The fire has weakened but there are still active pockets,' the spokesman told AFP.
Dozens of people were evacuated late Friday from homes and an elderly care center as the flames neared the nearby coastal resort of Palea Fokea.
Firefighters later found the remains of an elderly man in a hut near Keratea.
Gale-force winds on Friday also caused the deaths of two Vietnamese tourists who fell into the sea at Sarakiniko beach on the Cycladic island of Milos.
The 61-year-old woman and 65-year-old man were on a cruise ship group visiting the lunar-like, volcanic rock beach, the coast guard said.
A coast guard spokeswoman told AFP the woman had fallen into the water, and the man had tried to help her.
Greece's national weather service EMY said winds of up to 74 kilometers (46 miles) an hour were forecast for Saturday.
The weather on Friday disrupted ferry travel for tens of thousands of summer holidaymakers. A sailing ban on Athens ports was lifted Saturday.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Arab News
11 hours ago
- Arab News
Wildfires in Spain kill one and force thousands to flee
MADRID: A man died from burns and thousands of people were forced to flee as wildfires swept through parts of Spain on Tuesday, fueled by strong winds during a searing heatwave. The victim suffered serious burns as winds of up to 70 kilometers (43 miles) per hour whipped the flames through Tres Cantos, a wealthy suburb north of the capital Madrid, officials said. He later died in hospital, in the first fatality from dozens of wildfires to have hit the country since the heatwave began last week. The head of the regional government of Madrid, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, said she 'deeply regretted' the man's death in a message on X. Hundreds of residents in Tres Cantos were evacuated from their homes. 'In barely 40 minutes, the fire advanced six kilometers,' Carlos Novillo, Madrid's regional environment chief, told reporters. By Tuesday morning, regional officials said the blaze had been contained. Elsewhere, about 2,000 people were evacuated from hotels and homes near the popular beaches of Tarifa in the southern region of Andalusia. The wildfire broke out near where a similar blaze forced evacuations earlier this month. 'We managed to save the residential area at the very last second,' said Antonio Sanz, the interior minister in the regional government of Andalusia. A Civil Guard police officer was injured when struck by a car while helping with the evacuation, he added. In the northwestern region of Castile and Leon, more than 30 blazes were reported Monday, including one threatening Las Medulas, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its ancient Roman gold mines. The wildfires coincide with what meteorologists expect to be the most intense day yet of the ongoing heatwave, with all regions under weather alerts. Forecasters warn of highs around 40 Celsius and overnight lows that remain above 25 Celsius.


Asharq Al-Awsat
12 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Türkiye Battles Wildfire in Northwest for Second Day After Evacuations
Firefighters battled multiple wildfires across Türkiye on Tuesday, with a large blaze in the northwestern province of Canakkale burning for a second day after hundreds of residents were evacuated in precaution. Both Canakkale airport and the Dardanelles Strait, which connects the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara, were temporarily shut due to the wildfires on Monday. Wildfires in Canakkale's Ezine and Ayvacik districts were largely brought under control, but blazes in the city center in the southern part of the Dardanelles Strait were still burning, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said in a post on X. Seven planes and six helicopters were tackling the blaze on Tuesday, Canakkale Governor Omer Toraman said in a post on X, adding that there was no immediate danger to residential areas. Other wildfires in the northern province of Edirne and southern province of Hatay were completely brought under control while efforts were underway to battle another wildfire in the western province of Manisa, Yumakli said.


Arab News
12 hours ago
- Arab News
Turkiye battles wildfire in northwest for second day after evacuations
CANAKKALE, Turkiye: Firefighters battled multiple wildfires across Turkiye on Tuesday, with a large blaze in the northwestern province of Canakkale burning for a second day after hundreds of residents were evacuated in precaution. Both Canakkale airport and the Dardanelles Strait, which connects the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara, were temporarily shut due to the wildfires on Monday. Wildfires in Canakkale's Ezine and Ayvacik districts were largely brought under control, but blazes in the city center in the southern part of the Dardanelles Strait were still burning, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said in a post on X. Seven planes and six helicopters were tackling the blaze on Tuesday, Canakkale Governor Omer Toraman said in a post on X, adding that there was no immediate danger to residential areas. Other wildfires in the northern province of Edirne and southern province of Hatay were completely brought under control while efforts were underway to battle another wildfire in the western province of Manisa, Yumakli said.