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ABC News
a day ago
- Climate
- ABC News
One dead, evacuations underway after wildfires stoked by gale-force winds sweep through Greek towns
At least one person has died and homes and farmland have been destroyed as wildfires stoked by gale-force winds broke out across Greece on Friday. A wildfire on the outskirts of Athens was contained by Saturday morning local time, but evacuations of at-risk areas continued as strong winds were expected through the weekend. The worst blaze broke out in the small town of Keratea, south-west of the capital, where firefighters later discovered the body of an elderly man in a burned-out structure. Wind gusts of up to 80kph had fanned the flames around the town on Friday, setting olive orchards alight and torching homes. Homes were engulfed as locals wearing flimsy face masks assisted firefighters, while police went door to door late at night convincing locals to evacuate. A fire brigade spokesperson on Saturday said the fire there was under control, but not yet out. Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area dubbed "a wildfire hot spot" by scientists, with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast-changing climate, prompting calls for a new approach. Much of the region around Athens has barely had a drop of rain in months. Other blazes in the region of Ancient Olympia and on the tourist island of Kefalonia appeared to have abated by Saturday. Reuters
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Deadly Greek wildfire is battled by firefighters as strong winds raise spectre it could spread and could widespread devastation
Hundreds of firefighters battled a deadly wildfire near Athens for a second day on Saturday, with strong winds raising fears it could spread. A fire department spokesman said more than 260 firefighters with nearly 80 fire engines and 12 aircraft were deployed near Keratea, a rural area some 27 miles southeast of Athens. 'The fire has weakened but there are still active pockets,' the spokesman told AFP. A new fire broke out close to the nearby town of Kouvaras on Saturday but was quickly brought under control. Dimitris Loukas, mayor of the nearest city of Lavrio, said the Keratea fire that broke out Friday had devastated nearly 10,000 acres of brush and forest. 'Many homes were destroyed, in addition to other properties, agricultural and forest land,' he told state news agency ANA. The National Observatory in Athens on Saturday said the high winds will persist until at least Monday. Firefighters and police evacuated dozens of people late Friday from homes and an elderly care centre as the flames neared the coastal resort of Palaia Fokaia. Firefighters later found the remains of an elderly man in a hut near Keratea. He died in his bed, Loukas said. In the municipality of Palaia Fokaia, an hour's drive south of Athens, a typical bucolic Greek landscape of olive groves and hamlets was transformed by the raging Friday wildfire into a dystopia of blackened land and incinerated homes. A howling wind ripped through the settlement on Saturday, spread dust and the bitter smell of ash coming from the surrounding hills, where fires and smouldering embers continued to burn. At one gutted home - its caved-in roof nothing more than a tangle of warped metal - mask-wearing residents returned to retrieve whatever belongings survived the inferno. A despondent woman named Dimitria was more fortunate: the flames spared her home but razed the nearest forest, leaving it a desolate terrain of roasted trees and ash. 'From yesterday night, there were very few reinforcements from the fire brigade,' she lamented, describing how help arrived after the advancing fire threatened 'many houses' near the forest. 'My house is OK, but my forest is burned. And that is the pity,' she said with a trembling voice, her eyes welling up as she left to survey the damage. Firefighters with hoses combed through a copse of trees to douse any embers and prevent reactivations, scorched twigs and debris crunching under their boots. 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 coastguard said. A coastguard 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 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. On Friday, wildfires also hit Italy's Mount Vesuvius, as deadly blazes continued to sweep through Europe amid a scorching heatwave. Dramatic footage shows flames engulfing the volcano in Naples as firefighters battle to control them. The blaze broke out on Friday afternoon, and firefighting teams both on the ground and in the air rushed to the scene. But, as the sun set, the operation was temporarily suspended for safety reasons. Raffaele De Luca, president of the Vesuvius National Park, expressed his deep concern about the fire's progress. 'We are following every update in constant contact with the relevant authorities. 'Our gratitude goes to those who are working tirelessly to protect our natural heritage and ensure the safety of those who live nearby.' The devastating wildfires have also struck Turkey, Greece, and France - triggered by hotter and drier conditions. It also comes after 1,500 tourists and locals were evacuated in Spain as a dramatic forest fire near a beach resort caused chaos in Tarifa, often branded a 'surfer's paradise' due to its extremely wide beaches and tall waves. According to the local police, the fire started in a motorhome at the Torre la Peña campsite, which also had to be evacuated. The flames then blew westward, away from the campsite, and spread rapidly through a hilly and grassland area where homes and tourist establishments are scattered - including the Wawa Hotel, which is reported to have been affected by the fire. Several beach bars and 'chiringuitos' were also evacuated due to the large amounts of ash being carried down to the shore.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Firefighters battle blaze near Athens for second day
Hundreds of firefighters battled a deadly wildfire near Athens for a second day Saturday, with strong winds raising fears it could spread. A fire department spokesman said more than 260 firefighters with nearly 80 fire engines and 12 aircraft were deployed near Keratea, a rural area some 43 kilometres (27 miles) southeast of Athens. "The fire has weakened but there are still active pockets," the spokesman told AFP. A new fire broke out close to the nearby town of Kouvaras on Saturday but was quickly brought under control. Dimitris Loukas, mayor of the nearest city of Lavrio, said the Keratea fire that broke out Friday had devastated nearly 10,000 acres of brush and forest. "Many homes were destroyed, in addition to other properties, agricultural and forest land," he told state news agency ANA. The National Observatory in Athens on Saturday said the high winds will persist until at least Monday. Firefighters and police evacuated dozens of people late Friday from homes and an elderly care centre as the flames neared the coastal resort of Palaia Fokaia. Firefighters later found the remains of an elderly man in a hut near Keratea. He died in his bed, Loukas said. 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 coastguard said. A coastguard 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 kilometres (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. Two dead as Greece battles growing wildfire front 'We knew it was dangerous' In the municipality of Palaia Fokaia, an hour's drive south of Athens, a typical bucolic Greek landscape of olive groves and hamlets was also transformed by a raging Friday wildfire into a dystopia of blackened land and incinerated homes. Observing them from his unscathed house was a relieved Kostas Triadis. Despite the damage dealt to the landscape, he hailed the work of firemen and volunteers, "otherwise it would be very bad." "It is regenerated by itself, I hope it will be the natural future," the 75-year-old added, referring to the devastated vegetation. "It is a very good, small forest, we always knew it was dangerous." His wife Eleni, 71, added that "everybody did their utmost to save the area, but the real tragedy is that the forest is lost. It was very old." But she pointed to the many trees that were relatively unharmed because the fire burned itself out quickly in the short grass that residents had cut in June. "It's a tragedy, it's the first time the fire has come here," she said of the area, where the couple spend the summer months away from their Athens residence. A short distance away on the coast, the contrast could not be starker: beachgoers ambled on the sand and swam in the shimmering Mediterranean on a seemingly normal balmy summer morning. But the signs of the emergency were unmistakeable as beachside diners were greeted with the spectacle of water bombers skimming the water to refill and return to the raging fires. (AFP)
France 24
a day ago
- Climate
- France 24
Greeks count cost of wildfire 'tragedy' near Athens
A howling wind ripped through the settlement on Saturday, spread dust and the bitter smell of ash coming from the surrounding hills, where fires and smouldering embers continued to burn. The ground shuddered as low-flying helicopters and water bombers weaved through the steep terrain to release water onto the remaining blazes and retrieve sea water. Hours earlier, over 200 firefighters had battled to keep the fire that erupted in the rural region of Keratea, some 43 kilometres (27 miles) southeast of Athens, from threatening the coastal resorts dotting the coast of Attica. At one gutted home -- its caved-in roof nothing more than a tangle of warped metal -- mask-wearing residents returned to retrieve whatever belongings survived the inferno. A despondent woman named Dimitria was more fortunate: the flames spared her home but razed the nearest forest, leaving it a desolate terrain of roasted trees and ash. "From yesterday night, there were very few reinforcements from the fire brigade," she lamented, describing how help arrived after the advancing fire threatened "many houses" near the forest. "My house is OK, but my forest is burned. And that is the pity," she said with a trembling voice, her eyes welling up as she left to survey the damage. Firefighters with hoses combed through a copse of trees to douse any embers and prevent reactivations, scorched twigs and debris crunching under their boots. 'We knew it was dangerous' Observing them from his unscathed house was a relieved Kostas Triadis. Despite the damage dealt to the landscape, he hailed the work of firemen and volunteers, "otherwise it would be very bad." "It is regenerated by itself, I hope it will be the natural future," the 75-year-old added, referring to the devastated vegetation. "It is a very good, small forest, we always knew it was dangerous." His wife Eleni, 71, added that "everybody did their utmost to save the area, but the real tragedy is that the forest is lost. It was very old." But she pointed to the many trees that were relatively unharmed because the fire burned itself out quickly in the short grass that residents had cut in June. "It's a tragedy, it's the first time the fire has come here," she said of the area, where the couple spend the summer months away from their Athens residence. A short distance away on the coast, the contrast could not be starker: beachgoers ambled on the sand and swam in the shimmering Mediterranean on a seemingly normal balmy summer morning. But the signs of the emergency were unmistakeable as beachside diners were greeted with the spectacle of water bombers skimming the water to refill and return to the raging fires.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Climate
- Free Malaysia Today
Firefighters battle blaze near Athens for second day
Strong winds have raised fears that the large wildfire near Athens could spread. (AP pic) ATHENS : Hundreds of firefighters today battled for a second day a large wildfire near Athens that left one dead, with strong winds raising fears it could spread. A fire department spokesman said over 260 firefighters with nearly 80 fire engines and 12 aircraft were deployed in Keratea, a rural area some 43km southeast of Athens. 'The fire has weakened but there are still active pockets,' the spokesman told AFP. Dozens of people were evacuated late yesterday from homes and an elderly care centre 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 yesterday 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 spokesman 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 74kph were forecast for today. The weather yesterday disrupted ferry travel for tens of thousands of summer holidaymakers. A sailing ban on Athens ports was lifted today.
