In the southern region of Athens, Greece, a significant wildfire erupted on Thursday, prompting local authorities to initiate evacuations and close parts of the coastal highway connecting the Greek capital to the famous Temple of Poseidon in Sounion, a key tourist site.
The blaze coincided with Greece experiencing soaring temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) during its initial summer heatwave.
Fire department spokesperson Col. Vassilis Vathrakogiannis highlighted the intense efforts by both land and aerial teams to combat the fire, emphasizing their challenging struggle amid residential areas.
Support from the air included 12 water-dropping planes and 12 helicopters, assisting the 130 firefighters and volunteer teams in Palaia Fokaia, a seaside locale south of Athens.
Additionally, a firefighting boat from the coast guard was fighting the flames from the sea.
Originating within a residential sector, the fire was exacerbated by shifting strong winds, which spread thick smoke plumes across the sky.
Television images revealed at least one home in flames.
According to Dimitris Loukas, the local mayor, several homes might have been damaged, although detailed information on property loss is yet to be confirmed.
The coast guard prepared two patrol boats and nine private vessels in Palaia Fokaia for potential sea evacuations.
Ambulances were ready to act, though as of Thursday afternoon, their services had not been needed.
“We’re advising residents to evacuate their homes,” shared local town councilor Apostolos Papadakis via Greece’s state-run ERT television.
Some sections of the coastal road connecting Athens to Sounion were closed to traffic, with officials encouraging travelers to find alternative paths.
Vathrakogiannis reported that police evacuated 40 individuals and issued evacuation directives for five areas.
The fire’s origin remains uncertain, although an arson investigation team has been dispatched.
Due to the prevailing weather conditions, including this heatwave forecasted to continue through the weekend, the greater Athens area along with several Aegean islands is rated at Level 4 on a 5-level wildfire risk scale.
Earlier this week, a major wildfire on Chios Island in the eastern Aegean took hundreds of firefighters four days to control. Numerous evacuations were ordered as vast areas of forest and farmland succumbed to the fire.
One woman was apprehended, suspected of inadvertently causing the fire by discarding a cigarette.
Greece frequently faces wildfires because of its hot, dry summers.
In 2018, a catastrophic fire in Mati, a coastal town east of Athens, led to more than 100 fatalities as people were trapped in their homes and on roadways, with some drowning while trying to escape the flames by swimming.