The forest fire in the suburbs of Athens has left one dead and accounted for the destruction of many homes and businesses.
As the blazes subsided late on Monday, firefighters discovered the body of a woman at a building in Patima, Vrilissia. According to the Athens-Macedonia News Agency (AMNA) the woman, believed to be around 60 years old, was trapped in the building of a business.
Houses burned down in the suburbs of Vrilissia and Nea Penteli, while businesses and shops were seen on media footage being engulfed by the blaze.
In Vrilissia, the flames reached a small chemical industry, resulting in explosions. The mayor of Vrilissia said that at least ten houses in the area were burned by the fire.
Fire Department spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said in an update on the fires late on Monday that there is no active front.
“Ground firefighting forces remain strong. We do not have a fire front anymore, but several active pockets of fire, especially in the greater area of Penteli mountain and Marathonas Lake,” he explained.
Huge area destroyed by forest fire north of Athens
The wildfire that broke out on Sunday in Varnavas, northeast of Athens, spread southward towards the Greek capital like lightning, covering at least 18 miles (30 kilometers) within hours.
Around 39 square miles (100 sq. km.) of land have been burned according to estimates by the National Meteorological Service of Athens (meteo.gr), based on images received by the European satellite Sentinel-2.
Almost 700 fire fighters, 27 forest commando units, 183 vehicles, and 32 aircraft (17 airplanes and 15 helicopters) were deployed to fight the fires, while wind speeds remained high at 7 Beaufort.
The wildfire raced through pine forests left tinder-dry by repeated heat waves this summer. June and July were the hottest months ever recorded in Greece, which also recorded its warmest winter ever. An early start of the fire season this year has strained Greece’s firefighting force.
European help for Greece
Due to the scale of the fire, Greece announced a red alert on late Monday night and prompted Europe’s mutual civil protection mechanism as it sought assistance to douse the fires.
Neighboring European countries, such as Italy, Spain, Czech Republic, Romania, and Turkey, have vowed to “stand by Greece” and sent in planes, aid, and firefighters.
According to the Fire Risk Prediction Map, issued by the Greek authorities for Tuesday, August 13th, a very high risk of fire (risk category 4) is predicted for the regions of Attica and Central Greece.
