Greece fights wildfires on outskirts of Athens

(CN) — A dangerously hot and dry Greece is getting ravaged by wildfires again.

Wildfires ripped through areas northeast of Athens on Monday, forcing thousands of people to evacuate as a series of wildfires spread, threatening the towns of Marathon and Varnava and suburban areas of Athens.

About 700 Greek firefighters fought the blazes, which broke out on Sunday and were whipped into a frenzy by strong winds. At points, the fires reached 80 feet high, authorities said.

France, Italy and the Czech Republic deployed equipment and personnel to Greece to help fight the dangerous fires. Turkey and Spain planned to send help too.

Greece has been hit with devastating wildfires in recent years. The largest wildfire ever measured in Europe since at least the 1980s burned about 370 square miles of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace in August 2023. Those fires also were deadly, killing at least 20 people.

Greece's fire service said more than 40 fires broke out on Monday and that firefighters were battling blazes on fronts at the fringes of Athens. Helicopters, aircraft and earth-moving machinery were used in the fight. The skies over Athens were darkened by smoke.

About 15 people, including two firefighters, had suffered minor injuries as of late Monday, Greek authorities said.

Several communities on the outskirts of Athens were under evacuation orders Monday as fires spread toward residential areas and ravaged hard-to-reach Mount Pentelicus just outside the city.

A children’s hospital, a military hospital, two monasteries and a children’s home were evacuated early Monday.

Greek media reported that houses, schools and other structures were on fire in Pendeli, Vrilissia and Halandri and that flames had reached the grounds of the National Observatory of Athens in Pendeli.

Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said firefighters were battling “an exceptionally dangerous fire” under "dramatic circumstances.”

Greece, like most of the Mediterranean basin, is struggling with drought conditions and a summer marked by extreme temperatures. June and July of this year were the hottest months ever recorded in Greece, which also recorded its warmest winter ever.

The Acropolis was closed for several days in June and July because of the heat.

Courthouse News reporter Cain Burdeau is based in the European Union.

Follow @cainburdeau

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