Evacuations in Athens as wildfires reach edges of Greek capital

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from the hillside suburbs of Athens while gale-force winds fanned the flames of a wildfire that threatened to destroy their homes.

The wildfire broke out at about 2.30pm on Tuesday on Mount Penteli, some 16 miles (27km) north of Greece’s capital.

Strong winds fuelled the fire that was burning on several fronts, and the flames were still raging on Wednesday.

At least 600 people were evacuated from nine areas near the fire, including a hospital. The areas include Pallini and Gerakas.

There were no reports of injuries, the fire brigade said.

Local authorities said the fire had damaged some homes in the area of Pallini, but the fire brigade would not confirm this.

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Some 485 firefighters and 120 fire engines were deployed. More than seven helicopters and planes had dropped water on the fire, though they had halted operations during the night for safety reasons.

National fire department spokesperson Yiannis Artopios said in a televised statement: “It was a difficult night.

“Due to the intensity and speed of the winds, the fire constantly changed direction throughout the night, which made fighting it, in the middle of the night, even more difficult.”

The wind speed exceeded 50 miles (80km) per hour, he said.

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The fire brigade said that 28 firefighters from Romania were assisting local firefighters. More than 200 firefighters and equipment from Bulgaria, France, Germany, Romania, Norway and Finland will be on standby during the hottest months of July and August in Greece.

Investigators have been probing what could be the causes of the fire, including possible arson – according to the national fire department.

Last year, wildfires ravaged about 300,000 acres (121,000 hectares) of forest and bushland in different parts of Greece as the country experienced its worst heat wave in 30 years.

The Mount Penteli fire happened in the same week that much of western Europe sweltered in a heatwave that brought temperatures exceeding 40C – which broke records in many countries.

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This month, a number of wildfires broke out in countries including France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the UK with the majority having happened this week.

After a number of devastating wildfires, French agriculture minister Marc Fesneau said on Wednesday that France “must go further” and invest more money in firefighting.

Mr Fesneau said the government had already earmarked €850 million (£725m) to upgrade its fleet of fire-fighting planes, as well as €1 billion (£850m) used for re-planting trees.

He made the comments on French television while president Emmanuel Macron prepared to visit the Gironde region in southern France. Gironde and Brittany were hit by major wildfires this week.

Mr Fesneau said: “We are having to confront a quite exceptional situation, we are talking about more than 20,000 hectares affected in Gironde, 1,500 in Finistere and 1,500 in the Bouches du Rhone.”