Wildfires rage around Athens for third day as water bombers join effort

The efforts to extinguish the raging wildfires surrounding Athens have reached a critical point, with water bombers from Italy and France joining the battle to contain the flames that have been fanned by strong winds. Firefighters, backed by soldiers, police special forces, volunteers, and water-dropping aircraft, are working tirelessly to contain the blazes that have already encroached on the town of Megara.

The fire, which started in Dervenochoria, about 18 miles north of the Greek capital, has ripped through dry land turned tinder by temperatures that surpassed 40C last week. By Tuesday evening, a fire front stretching over five miles had prompted mass evacuations and devastated homes, cars, olive groves, and pine forests in the area of Mandra. Police were seen helping panic-stricken residents flee as the flames approached, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. “We are living a nightmare,” Mandra’s mayor, Christos Stathis, told Open TV. “Houses and properties are on fire.”

In dramatic scenes overnight, firefighting forces battled to stop the flames from reaching a coastal complex of oil refineries near Corinth, with Skai TV reporting that the blaze had come within 500 meters of the installation. “Last night men and women in civil protection and all the state machinery made a superhuman effort,” said climate crisis and civil protection minister Vassilis Kikilias. “The efforts will continue because climatic conditions are expected to be difficult today.”

Fires were reported to have come within a breath of homes in Megara, with Greek media describing a 4km front of flames on the periphery of the 30,000-strong town. The constantly shifting winds made the work of firefighters even more challenging. “We evacuated the area in time,” Megara’s mayor, Grigorios Stamoulis, appealed for more aircraft to be dispatched to the area. “Aerial means are the only ones that can act and bring about a decisive result. Ground forces can’t stop the fire in the forest.”

The fierce blazes have not only devastated homes and properties but also destroyed large areas of countryside, including olive groves and pine forests. At least 32 homes were burned to the ground in the region of Loutraki, where a state of emergency was declared on Tuesday, while fires were also reported on the islands of Rhodes and Crete. Authorities evacuated three villages on Rhodes due to the uncontrolled blazes.

In a week that has highlighted the severe consequences of the climate emergency, thousands have been forced to flee their homes, and countless others have lost properties they have worked a lifetime to acquire. On Monday, as Etesian winds blew in after a four-day heatwave, fires had ripped through seaside towns south-east of Athens, gutting holiday homes and leaving a trail of destruction.

Greece is bracing for a second heatwave once the winds drop on Thursday, with temperatures forecast to reach 44C over the weekend. Greek meteorologists warn that the worst is yet to come, with the risk of fires remaining extremely high. We has been told that it is “likely” that the Acropolis in Athens will once again be closed to the public if temperatures are deemed dangerously high.