Latest news with #PalaiaFokaia
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Dozens evacuated as forest fire rages near Athens
A violent forest fire devastated several seaside towns east of Athens on Thursday, damaging homes and prompting dozens of evacuations in a popular destination for Greek and foreign tourists. The fire broke around 12.30pm local time (9.30am UK time) near the towns of Palaia Fokaia and Thymari, around 30 miles east of Athens, and forced the evacuation of five villages, according to Greek firefighters. It comes on the heels of another fire on the island of Chios - Greece 's fifth-largest island - which as of Wednesday had destroyed more than 10,000 acres of land in four days. 'Ground and aerial forces are waging an enormous battle against the flames,' said fire service spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, adding that around 130 firefighters as well as volunteers were fighting the blaze, and around a dozen planes and helicopters had been deployed. 'This is a difficult fire fuelled by strong winds,' another fire service official told AFP. Kostas Tsiguas, president of the firefighters' union, said at least 50 people had been evacuated so far. Temperatures reached up to 40 degrees Celsius in the Athens region on Thursday, with forecasts indicating that the heatwave could continue until Saturday. In the past 24 hours, 45 fires had broken out in Greece, firefighters said. 'Residents told us the fire started because of a spark from a faulty electric cable,' he told national TV. Greece has become particularly vulnerable in recent years to fires in summer fuelled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change. Earlier this week, hundreds of firefighters backed up by aircraft were battling a wildfire burning out of control for the third day on the Greek island of Chios after authorities declared a state of emergency. Towering walls of flames tore through forest and agricultural land on the island, where authorities have sent firefighting reinforcements from Athens, the northern city of Thessaloniki and the nearby island of Lesbos. By Tuesday morning, the fire department said 444 firefighters with 85 vehicles were tackling the blaze on scattered fronts. Eleven helicopters and two water-dropping planes were providing air support. Emergency services have issued evacuation orders for villages and settlements in the area since Sunday, when fires broke out near the island's main town. Apocalyptic scenes captured in images and videos showed firefighters battling the flames as the wildfires raged on, while thick plumes of black smoke filled the sky. Other footage showed helicopters spraying water over smoke-filled fields. The fire department has sent an arson investigation team to Chios to examine the cause of the blaze. 'We are faced with simultaneous fires in multiple, geographically unconnected parts of the island - a pattern that cannot be considered coincidental,' Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Giannis Kefalogiannis said Monday from Chios. Authorities, he said, were 'very seriously examining the possibility of an organized criminal act, in other words arson.' The minister said police forces on the island had been reinforced, while military patrols had been doubled.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Dozens evacuated as forest fire rages near Athens just days after blaze ripped through another Greek holiday island
A violent forest fire devastated several seaside towns east of Athens on Thursday, damaging homes and prompting dozens of evacuations in a popular destination for Greek and foreign tourists. The fire broke around 12.30pm local time (9.30am UK time) near the towns of Palaia Fokaia and Thymari, around 30 miles east of Athens, and forced the evacuation of five villages, according to Greek firefighters. It comes on the heels of another fire on the island of Chios - Greece 's fifth-largest island - which as of Wednesday had destroyed more than 10,000 acres of land in four days. 'Ground and aerial forces are waging an enormous battle against the flames,' said fire service spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, adding that around 130 firefighters as well as volunteers were fighting the blaze, and around a dozen planes and helicopters had been deployed. 'This is a difficult fire fuelled by strong winds,' another fire service official told AFP. Kostas Tsiguas, president of the firefighters' union, said at least 50 people had been evacuated so far. Temperatures reached up to 40 degrees Celsius in the Athens region on Thursday, with forecasts indicating that the heatwave could continue until Saturday. In the past 24 hours, 45 fires had broken out in Greece, firefighters said. In Athens, police closed off the main coastal avenue that connects the capital to Cape Sounion, near the fire area. The region is popular among foreigners and Greek tourists, with many Athenians owning secondary homes or vacationing in the area. The deputy mayor of Palaia Fokaia, Stavros Petropoulos, described the situation as 'dramatic'. 'Residents told us the fire started because of a spark from a faulty electric cable,' he told national TV. Greece has become particularly vulnerable in recent years to fires in summer fuelled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change. Earlier this week, hundreds of firefighters backed up by aircraft were battling a wildfire burning out of control for the third day on the Greek island of Chios after authorities declared a state of emergency. Towering walls of flames tore through forest and agricultural land on the island, where authorities have sent firefighting reinforcements from Athens, the northern city of Thessaloniki and the nearby island of Lesbos. By Tuesday morning, the fire department said 444 firefighters with 85 vehicles were tackling the blaze on scattered fronts. Eleven helicopters and two water-dropping planes were providing air support. Emergency services have issued evacuation orders for villages and settlements in the area since Sunday, when fires broke out near the island's main town. Apocalyptic scenes captured in images and videos showed firefighters battling the flames as the wildfires raged on, while thick plumes of black smoke filled the sky. Other footage showed helicopters spraying water over smoke-filled fields. The fire department has sent an arson investigation team to Chios to examine the cause of the blaze. 'We are faced with simultaneous fires in multiple, geographically unconnected parts of the island - a pattern that cannot be considered coincidental,' Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Giannis Kefalogiannis said Monday from Chios. Greece has declared a state of emergency as wildfires burned for the third day in the island of Chios Authorities, he said, were 'very seriously examining the possibility of an organized criminal act, in other words arson.' The minister said police forces on the island had been reinforced, while military patrols had been doubled. 'Whoever thinks that they can play with the lives of citizens and cause chaos with premeditated actions will be led to court,' Kefalogiannis said. 'Arson is a serious crime and will be dealt with as such.'
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Homes burn in Greece as wildfire sweeps through coastal towns
A large wildfire swept through the coastal towns of Palaia Fokaia and Thymari 40 km (25 miles) southeast of Athens, destroying homes and forcing evacuations as it neared the beach. The flames erupted in low vegetation but quickly spread into residential areas, as Greece experienced its first heatwave of the summer. At least 20 homes were destroyed and many others suffered structural damage, according to local officials. Strong winds and soaring temperatures of up to 40°C made the fire extremely difficult to control. Local residents joined firefighters, forest rangers and aircraft in trying to contain the fire and protect their homes. The coast guard was also deployed along the coastline. Emergency alerts were issued via the 112 system, urging residents to evacuate the a series of towns and villages. Greece has sought to beef up its response to wildfires, which have become increasingly common because of its long, hot summers and warming climate. An extra 18,000 firefighters backed up by volunteers have been deployed this year, officials say, for the rest of the fire season which ends in October. Earlier this week thousands of hectares were torched on Chios, Greece's fifth-largest island. A Georgian woman was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of unintentionally starting a fire by dropping a cigarette. One resident in Thymari told Greek website Kathimerini on Thursday that by the time she had reached her home it had burned down because of the strong winds. Another said his neighbours' homes had been destroyed but he had been more fortunate. Further east along the coast towards Cape Sounion, on the tip of the Attica peninsula, the fire crossed the coastal road and moved toward the ridge of a nearby hill. Authorities said more than 1,000 people were evacuated from affected areas. Eleven tourists were rescued from a beach after becoming trapped by the advancing flames, according to local authorities. Despite evacuation orders, some residents refused to leave and attempted to defend their homes using garden hoses and other improvised means. Authorities warned that such actions endangered lives and obstructed emergency services. According to Greek state broadcaster ERT, at least 40 people, including children and elderly residents, were rescued by police after becoming trapped. Fire Service spokesperson Vasileios Vathrakogiannis said firefighters were engaged in an intense battle on the ground and by air, particularly in areas where the fire was burning close to houses. Local officials in villages inland from Thymari described the situation as extremely difficult. "All of the municipality's facilities were open to anyone who needed shelter or medical help," Babis Galanis, a local deputy mayor told ERT. The head of Greece's fire service has ordered a special arson investigation unit to the scene to examine whether the fire had been deliberately set. According to a report by Greece's Risk Assessment Committee, extremely high temperatures are expected on Friday, with a very high risk of wildfires in Attica, Evia, the Peloponnese, and the northern Aegean. Wildfires rage on Greek island of Chios
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Homes burn in Greece as wildfire sweeps through coastal towns
A large wildfire swept through the coastal towns of Palaia Fokaia and Thymari 40 km (25 miles) southeast of Athens, destroying homes and forcing evacuations as it neared the beach. The flames erupted in low vegetation but quickly spread into residential areas, as Greece experienced its first heatwave of the summer. At least 20 homes were destroyed and many others suffered structural damage, according to local officials. Strong winds and soaring temperatures of up to 40°C made the fire extremely difficult to control. Local residents joined firefighters, forest rangers and aircraft in trying to contain the fire and protect their homes. The coast guard was also deployed along the coastline. Emergency alerts were issued via the 112 system, urging residents to evacuate the a series of towns and villages. Greece has sought to beef up its response to wildfires, which have become increasingly common because of its long, hot summers and warming climate. An extra 18,000 firefighters backed up by volunteers have been deployed this year, officials say, for the rest of the fire season which ends in October. Earlier this week thousands of hectares were torched on Chios, Greece's fifth-largest island. A Georgian woman was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of unintentionally starting a fire by dropping a cigarette. One resident in Thymari told Greek website Kathimerini on Thursday that by the time she had reached her home it had burned down because of the strong winds. Another said his neighbours' homes had been destroyed but he had been more fortunate. Further east along the coast towards Cape Sounion, on the tip of the Attica peninsula, the fire crossed the coastal road and moved toward the ridge of a nearby hill. Authorities said more than 1,000 people were evacuated from affected areas. Eleven tourists were rescued from a beach after becoming trapped by the advancing flames, according to local authorities. Despite evacuation orders, some residents refused to leave and attempted to defend their homes using garden hoses and other improvised means. Authorities warned that such actions endangered lives and obstructed emergency services. According to Greek state broadcaster ERT, at least 40 people, including children and elderly residents, were rescued by police after becoming trapped. Fire Service spokesperson Vasileios Vathrakogiannis said firefighters were engaged in an intense battle on the ground and by air, particularly in areas where the fire was burning close to houses. Local officials in villages inland from Thymari described the situation as extremely difficult. "All of the municipality's facilities were open to anyone who needed shelter or medical help," Babis Galanis, a local deputy mayor told ERT. The head of Greece's fire service has ordered a special arson investigation unit to the scene to examine whether the fire had been deliberately set. According to a report by Greece's Risk Assessment Committee, extremely high temperatures are expected on Friday, with a very high risk of wildfires in Attica, Evia, the Peloponnese, and the northern Aegean. Wildfires rage on Greek island of Chios
BBC News
5 hours ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Homes burn in Greece as wildfire sweeps through coastal towns
A large wildfire swept through the coastal towns of Palaia Fokaia and Thymari 40 km (25 miles) southeast of Athens, destroying homes and forcing evacuations as it neared the flames erupted in low vegetation but quickly spread into residential areas, as Greece experienced its first heatwave of the least 20 homes were destroyed and many others suffered structural damage, according to local officials. Strong winds and soaring temperatures of up to 40°C made the fire extremely difficult to control. Local residents joined firefighters, forest rangers and aircraft in trying to contain the fire and protect their homes. The coast guard was also deployed along the alerts were issued via the 112 system, urging residents to evacuate the a series of towns and has sought to beef up its response to wildfires, which have become increasingly common because of its long, hot summers and warming extra 18,000 firefighters backed up by volunteers have been deployed this year, officials say, for the rest of the fire season which ends in this week thousands of hectares were torched on Chios, Greece's fifth-largest island. A Georgian woman was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of unintentionally starting a fire by dropping a cigarette. One resident in Thymari told Greek website Kathimerini on Thursday that by the time she had reached her home it had burned down because of the strong winds. Another said his neighbours' homes had been destroyed but he had been more east along the coast towards Cape Sounion, on the tip of the Attica peninsula, the fire crossed the coastal road and moved toward the ridge of a nearby hill. Authorities said more than 1,000 people were evacuated from affected areas. Eleven tourists were rescued from a beach after becoming trapped by the advancing flames, according to local evacuation orders, some residents refused to leave and attempted to defend their homes using garden hoses and other improvised means. Authorities warned that such actions endangered lives and obstructed emergency to Greek state broadcaster ERT, at least 40 people, including children and elderly residents, were rescued by police after becoming Service spokesperson Vasileios Vathrakogiannis said firefighters were engaged in an intense battle on the ground and by air, particularly in areas where the fire was burning close to officials in villages inland from Thymari described the situation as extremely difficult."All of the municipality's facilities were open to anyone who needed shelter or medical help," Babis Galanis, a local deputy mayor told head of Greece's fire service has ordered a special arson investigation unit to the scene to examine whether the fire had been deliberately to a report by Greece's Risk Assessment Committee, extremely high temperatures are expected on Friday, with a very high risk of wildfires in Attica, Evia, the Peloponnese, and the northern Aegean.
