Evacuations due to a series of forest fires in Greece

Greek firefighters are busy with a series of wildfires that have spread across the country. As a precaution, people were evacuated from homes in several locations. About 300 wildfires have broken out in the past week, firefighters said, including 65 in the past 24 hours.

The largest fire is located about 40 kilometers west of Athens. The fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon near the coastal town of Porto Germeno. More than 130 firefighters and ten firefighting planes and helicopters have been battling the massive wildfire ever since.

According to local authorities, the strong and often changing wind makes the operation more difficult. The fire seems to spread more and more slowly as the evening progresses. A village near the forest fire was evacuated. Uninhabited house burnt down, reports public broadcaster ERT†

See images of the various forest fires in Greece here:

Earlier in the day, firefighters brought another major blaze under control. It was near the town of Itea, about 100 kilometers west of Athens. Here too, a number of residents had to leave their homes. About 300 hectares of olive groves caught fire.

On Monday, a hotel near the resort town of Kranidi in the Peloponnese region was evacuated. No one was injured in this forest fire.

Greek firefighters receive help from colleagues from other European countries. Bulgarian and Romanian firefighters, among others, are stationed in Greece, as part of a European cooperation plan. Eventually, 200 additional firefighters should be able to intervene during the forest fire season.

Greece is affected by forest fires every year. In 2018, more than 100 people died in a large forest fire. Since then, the Greek government has been very attentive to such calamities.

Due to strong winds and dry, hot weather, the highest fire danger phase will be in effect across large parts of the country through Wednesday. This includes a barbecue ban and people are not allowed to light fires.