Thousands Evacuated in Greece as Fires Rage
2 Min Read
For days, Greece has been witnessing fires in several locations between forests and islands which have spread to residential areas, prompting authorities to evacuate residents.
-
Firefighters battle blaze near a residential area in Patras (AP)
Yesterday, Tuesday, Greece witnessed new forest fires that led to resident evacuations from certain areas, particularly in northern Athens, at the bottom of Mount Barnes, and in the Peloponnese.
Tuesday afternoon, a fire broke out at the foot of Mount Barnes, 30 kilometers from Athens, which led authorities to close the highway linking the Greek capital with the north and south of Greece.
Residents of the Barnes town of Varembombe have been advised to remain vigilant by the Greek Civil Defense. After the fire began closing in on residential areas, teams of firefighters recommended evacuating the town.
According to some media outlets, children were also evacuated from a summer camp near the Varympompi suburb.
Moreover, firefighters were also battling flames in the area surrounding the former Greek royal family's summer palace of Tatoi.
In the southern Peloponnese peninsula, 300 kilometers from Athens, three villages were evacuated after a fire on Tuesday afternoon.
In the Dodecanese Islands, the island of Kos was also ablaze.
Since last week, Greece has been "facing the worst heatwave since 1987," according to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Scientists believe that heatwaves are a clear sign of global warming and that they are expected to become more repeated, extended, and intensified.
Several fires ravaged Greece last week without any casualties, especially on Rhodes island and northwest of Peloponnese.
The #TurkeyWildfires 🇹🇷 are another stark reminder that we need ambitious action to tackle the #ClimateCrisis.
— WWF (@WWF) August 2, 2021
Over 100 fires have been burning over the last week, resulting in deaths, loss of livelihoods and evacuations. https://t.co/LLnoIIaDkI
