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The fire raised thick smoke over the capital and prompted multiple evacuations near Tatoy, 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) north of Athens.
As Greece’s worst heat wave in decades triggered wildfires to spread to residential areas, hundreds of residents living near the forested areas of northern Athens fled their homes.
Tuesday’s fire caused heavy smoke over the capital and prompted multiple evacuations near Tatoy, 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) north of Athens. Many residents left their homes on cars and motorcycles and headed to the capital because the residential areas were enveloped in dense smoke.
“This is a big fire and a lot of work needs to be done to contain it,” George Patoulis, the governor of the Greater Athens region, told the state-run ERT television station.
“People in this area should be on standby. We ask the public in areas affected by the fire to close their windows because the smoke is very dense.”
As the heat wave in the scorching eastern Mediterranean intensified, temperatures in parts of the Greek capital reached 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
Extreme weather has fueled deadly wildfires in Turkey, as well as fires in Greece, Albania, Italy and the entire region.
Tourist attraction closed
The fire prompted Greek basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo to cancel a planned celebration in Athens for his recent NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks.
“We hope that there are no victims of these fires, and of course we will postpone today’s celebrations,” Antetokounmpo wrote in a tweet.
Earlier, the authorities closed the Acropolis and other ancient sites in the afternoon.
When a wildfire broke out in the suburb of Varympompi, north of Athens, Greece, a volunteer firefighter held a hose [Giorgos Moutafis/Reuters]The website is usually open during the summer from 8 am to 8 pm local time (05:00 – 17:00 GMT), and will be reduced to Friday’s business hours, from noon to 5 pm (Greenwich Mean Time). It will be closed between 09:00 – 14:00, standard time.
Extreme high temperatures have strained the country’s power supply and fueled wildfires.
Experts warn that climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of wildfires.
The current wildfires are not only related to higher temperatures, but also to lower precipitation. Dry wood burns easier and faster, making wildfires worse and spreading faster.
Five water jets and five helicopters participated in the fire fighting near Athens, including a Beriev Be-200 amphibious aircraft leased from Russia.
The fire damaged electrical towers and further increased the pressure on the grid that is under stress due to the widespread use of air conditioners.
The Greek Fire Department kept an alert on most parts of the country on Tuesday and Wednesday, while public and some private services adjusted their business hours to allow the afternoon to close.
Several villages along the southern coast of the Peloponnese were also evacuated on Tuesday.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriacos Mizotakis said this week that Greece is facing “the worst heat wave” since 1987.
In neighboring Turkey, the worst fire in at least a decade has occurred Swallowed parts of the country, Took the lives of eight people and forced hundreds to evacuate to the southern region popular with tourists.
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