Fires are raging in several regions of Greece. The disaster has deprived people of their homes and jobs. For example, one resident of the town of Vrilisia lost his carving workshop. “The fire first broke out on the neighbouring plot, then jumped to mine and burned down the house and the workshop,” Vangelis Ilias told Reuters news agency.
Fires are raging in eastern Greece. More than 700 firefighters are battling the blaze, Greek public broadcaster ERT reported Tuesday. One person has died in the blaze. The fight against the fire that broke out near Athens is very difficult.
Dantesque scenes in Greece
Residents of the fire-hit village of Penteli described Dantesque scenes that unfolded in their village, with animals fleeing in panic from the fire.
One resident said the sight of the flames in a nearby forest was very painful for her. “We grew up in this forest. We feel great sadness and anger,” Marina Kalogerakou, 24, told Reuters news agency.
“We are at the mercy of God,” said another Pentel resident named Dimitris. The farmer is worried about the fate of his 100 goats and five dogs. “I heard them die,” he said, adding that he and his son tried to put out the fire with buckets.
Pantelis Kyriazis, a Greek firefighter, said the situation was very difficult. “There are constant re-emergence of fires,” he told broadcaster ERT.
Further south of Penteli, in the town of Dioni, a fire is also raging. One resident there had to brave choking clouds of smoke as he doused his house with water. “The wind was blowing one way, the other. The smoke was choking, burning my throat, it was almost impossible to breathe. My eyes were stinging and watering,” Spyros Gorilas told the Associated Press.
The fire “jumped” onto the plot
When Vangelis Ilias, a resident of the town of Vrilissia, returned home after his vacation, he found that a fire was approaching his carving workshop.
– The fire first broke out on the neighbouring plot and then jumped to mine and burned down the house and the workshop, Ilias told Reuters news agency.
Like many residents of Vrilis, Ilias was shocked by what happened. When he started his business two years ago, he never thought the fires would reach so close. “Life has shown me many times that things can be different. I fall, and then I rise again,” he added.
Residents of towns affected by fires are counting their lossesReuters
Hospitals on high alert
Since Sunday, health care and emergency workers have treated 13 citizens and two firefighters with burns and respiratory injuries, the fire department told CNN.
Three hospitals in the Attica region have been put on high alert. More than 20 children have been evacuated from a hospital in Penteli, according to Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis.
Main image source: PAP/EPA/GEORGE VITSARAS