A fire that broke out Saturday afternoon on the Greek island of Serifos in the Aegean Sea has caused widespread destruction, local authorities said Sunday. Their chief called the island a “biblical catastrophe.” Fires have also raged in the area around Athens.
On Saturday, a fire broke out on the Greek island of Serifos, located in the Aegean Sea. According to local authorities, it has been brought under control.
– The fire is under control, now we are just observing. The entire southwestern part of the island of Serifos has burned down – said Mayor Konstantinos Rewintis, quoted by the eKathimerini portal. Until the arrival of support from Athens, only one fire truck with four firefighters, water tankers, two planes and a helicopter were involved in the extinguishing operation on the island. Before 11 a.m. on Saturday, 22 additional firefighters and 11 fire trucks sailed out of the port of Piraeus towards the island. Residents of many towns received calls to evacuate due to the rapid spread of the fire caused by strong winds. On Saturday, the mayor, referring to the situation on the island, spoke of a “biblical catastrophe”. – Houses are burned, warehouses are burned – he emphasized. The island of Serifos, which belongs to the Cyclades archipelago, is permanently inhabited by just over 1,000 people.
Fire on the island of Serifos The Reformation
Fires in the Athens area
Two major fires broke out on the outskirts of Athens on Saturday afternoon. North of the Greek capital, firefighters responded to the Parnita mountain range, where a fire was threatening a national park. The fight against the fire was hampered by strong winds reaching gusts of up to 100 kilometres per hour, which eased slightly in the evening. 200 firefighters were on the scene, supported by helicopters.
“Numerous forces on the ground are fighting a real battle,” fire brigade spokesman Vasilis Vathrakogiannis said on Saturday during a press conference.
Residents of nearby towns received alerts indicating that they may be asked to evacuate at any time and that some roads leading to the mountains should be closed.
The second fire occurred near the city of Aspropirgos in western Attica. The flames quickly spread, burning dry meadow plants and landfills. Residents of the village of Nea Zoi were ordered to evacuate to a safer place.
In total, about 50 fires broke out in Greece on Saturday, and half of the country was included in a high fire risk zone over the weekend.
Fire in the area of the Parnita massif in GreecePAP/EPA/ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU
PAP, Reuters, eKathimerini, protothema.gr,
Main image source: The Reformation