A wildfire on Friday claimed at least one life and destroyed homes and farmland in a town near Greece’s Athens, as Greek firefighters battled to control multiple blazes amid the beginning of several days of expected gale-force winds, officials said.
Eleven planes, 12 helicopters and 170 firefighters were deployed around Keratea, 30 kilometres southwest of the capital, and residents were called to evacuate, the fire brigade said.
Much of the area has seen barely a drop of rain in months. Wind gusts of up to 80 kilometres per hour fanned the fire, setting olive tree orchards alight. Images on local media showed houses engulfed in flames.
Firefighters discovered the body of an elderly man in a burned-out structure in Keratea, Greek Fire Brigade Spokesman Vassilis Vathrakogiannis said during a briefing
Mess
“The fire is advancing. In some places only aerial firefighting is being possible,” Yiannis Schizas, a member of the Civil Protection in the area, told SKAI TV.
“There is too much wind. It is becoming a mess,” he said.
High winds are expected through the weekend and beyond.
‘Wildfire Hotspot’
In the touristy island of Kefalonia, in western Greece, a wildfire was out of control, burning forests and farm land, authorities and local media said.
Greece and other Mediterranean countries are in an area dubbed “a wildfire hotspot” by scientists, with blazes common during hot and dry summers. These have become more destructive in recent years due to a fast-changing climate, prompting calls for a new approach.
Parched southern France is currently facing its worst wildfire in decades.
1 Killed, 18 Injured
France’s biggest wildfire in nearly eight decades has killed a woman whom officials said had disregarded evacuation orders, made 18 injuries, including 16 firefighters. The blaze destroyed 36 houses, damaged 20 others, and forced some 2,000 residents and holidaymakers to flee the area.
At the height of the crisis, approximately 5,000 households lost power, and as of Thursday evening, around 1,500 homes were still without electricity, local authorities said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
