Greece experienced a rapid wildfire spread in the vicinity of Athens last Sunday as a result of hot, windy weather. The blaze caused a significant amount of damage, engulfing trees, residences, and vehicles, whilst smoke engulfed the Greek capital. A force of over 400 firefighters, supplemented by 16 water-dropping aircraft and 13 helicopters, were tackling the fire, which flared up at 3 pm and quickly spread to the rural village of Varnavas, situated 35 km north of Athens.
Upon nightfall, aircraft operations were paused until daybreak, and the sky was brightly coloured by the blazing fire. The chimney spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis warned that the situation remained hazardous, as the flames were spreading through homes. He further clarified that the wildfire’s rapid spread, mirroring a lightning flash, was due to strong winds, causing flames as tall as 25m to consume trees and shrubs.
Varnavas, a sparsely populated area home to roughly 1,800 individuals, was quickly surrounded by the fire. Resident Katerina Fylaktou vividly described to Reuters, “The village was engulfed in flames in an instant due to the strong winds.”
The nation has been persistently batting wildfires since May, believed to be the result of extreme hot and dry conditions, worsened by climate change. The winter season was the hottest on record, and there have been prolonged periods of drought. In turn, this has led to Greece recording its hottest June and July and is now anticipated to experience its hottest summer ever.
Research Director of the Athens Observatory, Kostas Lagouvardos, predicted that the upcoming week could be particularly challenging, indicating a potential problem if the Varnavas fire can’t be controlled overnight.
In addition to the Greek struggles, similar wildfires, provoked by heightened temperatures, have risen in Spain and the Balkans. Authorities issued evacuation warnings for nine proximate regions to Varnavas, and heavy brown smoke affected much of Athens, reaching as far as the island of Aegina to the south. On Sunday, a separate fire near Megara, to the west of Athens, was fortunately restricted. Due to these recent fires, Greece has heightened its alert level in several regions for a heightened fire risk on Sunday and Monday.
On Saturday, Vassilis Kikilias, the minister for climate crisis and civil protection, announced emergency actions to tackle forest fires, involving the military, law enforcement, and volunteers till August 15th. “Conditions of extreme heat and perilous weather can be expected to dominate,” he stated. “A significant part of Greece will be severely affected.”
A report by the European Commission in April conveyed that Europe’s wildfire season in 2023 was among the most disastrous of this century.
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024