Wildfire near Athens forces evacuation of seaside resorts
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Authorities order the evacuation of a nearby residential neighborhood with seafront properties due to the wildfire burning close to Athens, Greece.
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A wildfire, near Athens, being fought (AFP)
On Monday, firefighters reported a wildfire near Athens as a heatwave swept the nation. As a precaution, numerous seaside resorts were forced to close.
Kouvaras, which is located around 50 kilometers (31 miles) southeast of Athens, is where the fire first started. Yannis Artopios, a spokesperson for the firefighters, stated, "It's a difficult fire, the winds are really strong" with gusts reaching up to 60 kilometers (37 miles) per hour.
According to Loutraki's mayor, Greek officials on Monday evacuated 1,200 kids from summer camps that were in danger from flames raging nearby.
Greece has been experiencing a heatwave since last week, along with Italy and Spain, with central Greece experiencing temperatures as high as 44°C (111F).
According to local media, two fronts of firefighting included seven water-bombing aircraft, four helicopters, 150 local firefighters, and 30 Romanian colleagues.
The fire spread south toward the Attica region and the resorts of Lagonissi, Anavyssos, and Saronida.
Traffic on the highways surrounding Kalyvia was obstructed by dense smoke.
Residents were warned to flee the area by the authorities, and monks from a nearby monastery were also evacuated.
Strong winds caused a forest fire to spring out nearby the Isthmus of Corinth, close to the well-known beach village of Loutraki, according to the Greek press agency ANA, which added that precautionary evacuations were also ordered there.
The Acropolis, one of Greece's biggest tourist destinations, was closed during the hottest hours for three days straight starting on Saturday in Athens, where the temperature reached 39°C.
Greece's temperatures are expected to dip by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius by Wednesday, and a fresh heat wave with local highs of 43 degrees will start on Thursday, according to the EMY national weather agency.
"We are in the middle of the period of fighting fires and the conditions expected will be particularly difficult and favor forest fires," said Artopios.
Read next: Burning planet: Record heatwaves sweep the world, demand urgent action
It is worth noting that this has not been the first time. Last year, a wildfire ravaged the southern suburbs of Athens, in June. Residents in the area were also forced to evacuate as the hurricane damages property and infrastructure. When the winds receded, the intensity of the wildfire also did, according to the Greek fire brigade.
In another summer as well, Greece saw some of its most pressing heatwaves in decades. Authorities blamed the condition on climate change, as fires grazed 100,000 hectares of forest and farmland - the worst wildfire damage since 2007.
Scientists believed that wildfires will represent a higher socioeconomic danger in the coming years as they continue to burn agricultural regions and harm people.
A study used machine learning to model where wildfires are likely to strike in coming years, as well as their impact on humanity.
