Greece fires: One dead, thousands evacuated as flames spread through Athens suburbs

The fire left at least one person dead and triggered evacuations as strong swirling winds hampered the efforts of firefighters and water-dropping planes.

The fire department said shortly after midnight that firefighters found a body in a burnt building in the suburb of Vrilissia, local media report the body is that of a woman.

Rich Booth reports from Athens:

Three hospitals, including a children’s hospital, two monasteries and a children’s home have been evacuated following the wildfire in Greece.

Cellphones in the area got at least 30 push alerts warning people to flee. 

Greece’s coast guard diverted all ferries from a nearby port serving several Aegean Sea islands, to another harbor.

Sports halls and hotels were turned into evacuation centers.

Authorities said some people who refused to leave their homes later became trapped and required rescuing, endangering the lives of firefighters.

The affected areas at the closest, some 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the heart of Athens where the famed Acropolis and other archeological sites are located typically have thousands of residents. 

A blanket of smoke and ash shrouded central Athens while power cuts hit parts of the Greek capital and affected traffic lights at major central junctions.

Authorities said at least 18 people were injured, mostly due to smoke inhalation as the blaze reached outlying sections of a suburb.

Athens hospitals continue to be on heightened alert as paramedics and ambulances treat five firefighters for light burns and breathing problems, and at least 13 civilians.

The Athens Medical Association warned those with chronic conditions, the elderly, pregnant women, children and those with respiratory and heart problems to be extra cautious. 

More than 700 firefighters, backed by 27 special wildfire teams, and armed forces personnel were battling the flames overnight.

Around 190 vehicles, 17 water-dropping planes and 16 helicopters were also deployed to the affected areas.

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

“Firefighters have been working at full tilt for months,” said Nikos Lavranos, head of Greece’s main firefighters’ union. “They are exhausted.”

Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said earlier Monday it was “an exceptionally dangerous fire, which we have been fighting for more than 20 hours under dramatic circumstances.”

Some areas burning on Mount Pendeli were particularly hard to reach, he added. 

A woman’s body was found this morning inside a burned Athens factory.

The woman, who is believed to be around 60 years old, was found inside a building in Patima Halandriou, state news agency ANA reports.

The municipality, which just over 70,000 people, was forced to be evacuated on Monday following the disastrous blaze.

This is believed to be the first reported death from a wildfire that has torched the capital’s suburbs.

Thousands of residents were forces to flee their homes and the Greek government has appealed for international help.

In the wake of the 2023 wildfires in Greece, our travel correspondent Simon Calder writes:

British travellers must reappraise their travel preferences. Extreme heat appears to be becoming a feature of some Mediterranean countries, especially in July and August.

Doing what we have always done, summer after summer, is not necessarily the correct answer.

If temperatures continue to rise, a more northerly destination will be more appropriate and less environmentally damaging. A wide range of holiday locations are unlikely to encounter extreme heat, for example:

• British seaside resorts.
• Overseas nations close to the UK including Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands.
• The Baltic coast of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

Curiously, weather-informed choice already happens in the reverse direction. UK holidaymakers are famously responsive to wet British summers.

If it rains relentlessly from June to September, tour operators know to expect strong bookings for overseas holidays for the following summer.

Firefighters continue to battle against the wildfire in a town near the Greek capital after a fierce fire broke out on Sunday.

A 60-year-old woman was found dead inside a factory in Patima Halandriou.

The harrowing scenes never seen before in Athens have forced thousands to flee the capital’s suburbs.

Greece called the EU for assistance to assist hard-pressed firefighters. EU spokesman Balazs Ujvari said: “The EU civil protection mechanism was activated upon request of the Greek authorities.”

Countries including Italy, France, the Czech Republic and Romania have confirmed they are sending units to help.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said Paris is deploying 180 firefighters, 55 trucks and a helicopter to assist.

The Greek civil protection ministry also confirmed aid from Spain is also being “finalised” and Turkey announced it was sending two planes and a helicopter to help battle the fire.