A fire near Athens broke out in a forest area of Mount Parnitha shortly before 3 pm Greek time, with the Civil Protection calling an alert. So far, it is under control, with only a few spots remaining active.
According to testimonies of witnesses, the fire was caused by an explosion on a pylon of the power company.
The fire broke out in the Katsimidi area of the mountain right above the point where there are a few restaurants, with clouds of smoke that can be seen from afar.
According to information from the Fire Service, the fire was not in the forest but moved in the opposite direction to the Royal Estates, and conditions were extremely difficult due to gale force winds. According to the same source, the fire is burning in an area that had burned previously and now has limited vegetation.
Sizable ground and air firefighting forces have been mobilized to extinguish the flames. Specifically, eighty firefighters with four pedestrian units and thirty vehicles were mobilized while five aircraft and six helicopters operate from the air.
At the same time, many volunteers appeared to help the firefighters. Water tankers and machinery are provided by municipal authorities. The General Staff of the National Defense Ministry has also sent firefighting equipment.
Mount Parnitha is an important hub of green for Athens, but it is consistently marred by forest fires.
Gale winds made it more difficult for firefighters
According to Fire Service press representative Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, the wind speed where the flames rage reached 50 kilometers (31 miles) per hour with gusts exceeding 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour. These conditions, as well as the fact that there were high-voltage pylons in the area, made it difficult for operational work of aerial means, as he pointed out, and for this reason, only helicopters operated.
All forces are coordinated by the OLYMPOS Mobile Operations Center. At 3:47 pm, a message from 112 was sent to cell-phones to alert Athens residents of the fire in order to be ready to follow the instructions of the competent authorities in the event of an emergency.
Finally, the Fire Service representative emphasized that 40 fires have broke out in agricultural and forest areas since the early hours of Saturday. He also pointed out that in any case, citizens, for their own safety, should follow the instructions of competent authorities.
Another fire raging near Athens
A wildfire that broke out in the Feriza area in Attica on Saturday morning has forced the Civil Protection authority to call for evacuation of certain communities.
Forty-eight firefighters, two pedestrian units with seventeen firefighting vehicles, two firefighting aircraft, and two firefighting helicopters are working to extinguish the fire.
In the meantime, a 112 message from Civil Protection was sent to local residents to evacuate the Feriza and Olympos communities and move towards Palaia Fokaia. They also urged all citizens to inform themselves on emergency cases by visiting: htpps://civilprotection.gov.gr/all-guidelines.
Fire on Serifos island
A large fire broke out late on Saturday afternoon on Serifos island and is still raging. Firefighters are trying to contain the flames before they get to the vicinity of any homes. The 112 cell-phone warning was activated, advising locals to evacuate houses around the fire radius.
Specifically, Civil Protection advised residents of the Ramos and Livadi communities to move towards Serifos town.
A new message that followed asked residents of Koutalas, Ganema, Vaya, and Kalo Anbeli to also move towards the town of Serifos. The warning indicates that the fire is spreading fast, as winds with speed that reach 100 kilometers (62 miles) an hour spread the fire further into the island.
This is a developing story.