A forest fire, fanned by strong winds, broke out on Monday in Kouvaras, a town 50 km east of Athens. The authorities have given the order to evacuate several seaside areas as a precaution. The fire, which destroyed brushwood, quickly spread to the south of the Attica region, near the seaside areas of Lagonissi, Anavyssos and Saronida where there are many secondary houses.
“It’s a difficult fire, the winds are very strong, up to 7 Beaufort (50 to 60 km / h),” said Yannis Artopios, spokesperson for the fire brigade, as Greece has been experiencing a wave since Thursday. heat wave with peaks over 44°C in the center of the country. In Athens, the mercury soared to 39°C on Saturday and the iconic Acropolis site, the most visited in the country, remained closed during the hottest hours of the day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Evacuations as a precaution
According to local media, seven water bombers, four helicopters and 150 firefighters, including a team of 30 Romanian firefighters, were fighting against both fronts of this fire, according to local media. Traffic was brought to a standstill on nearby roads in Kalyvia, which were invaded by thick smoke. Authorities asked residents to leave as a precaution while a monastery was evacuated.
Near the Isthmus of Corinth, in a forest area close to a famous seaside resort, Loutraki, a fire was also underway, Greek news agency ANA reported. Again, precautionary evacuations were also ordered there, according to the same source.
Difficult operating conditions
“We are at the heart of the firefighting period and the expected conditions will be particularly difficult conducive to forest fires,” warned Yannis Artopios. Sunday evening, the thermometer began to drop slightly and the Ministry for the Climate Crisis warned of the “increased risk” of fires due to strong winds, between 50 and 60 km / h.
According to the national weather services EMY, while temperatures are expected to drop by 2° to 4°C by Wednesday, a new heat wave is expected from Thursday with expected highs of 43°C locally.