Wildfires near Athens force residents of two neighbourhoods to evacuate

Euronews
·1-min read
Wildfires near Athens force residents of two neighbourhoods to evacuate

A wildfire broke out near the Greek capital of Athens on Sunday, forcing evacuations as firefighters battled to contain the blaze.

The fire broke out Sunday afternoon near the village of Varnava, northeast of Athens.

Two communities needed to be evacuated after the fire blazed near a residential area after being fanned by strong winds.

The fire is moved towards Lake Marathon, a major water reservoir supplying Athens.

250 firefighters with 67 fire engines and many volunteers fought the fire on the ground.

They were assisted by water wagons supplied by the regional administration and the armed forces.

In the air, 12 planes and 6 helicopters worked to douse the fires, with another helicopter acting as coordination.

The smoke’s shadow spread over the city and clouded Athens’ Parthenon, shrouding one of Greece’s most iconic landmarks.

A forest fire near the town of Megara, west of Athens, is also reportedly in progress.

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