Wildfires suddenly erupted in several locations in southern Greece on Friday, with the most notable being a major blaze in extreme southeastern Greece, near the coastal town of Neapolis as well as a fire on Mt. Hymettus, overlooking the greater Athens area from the east.
The latter wildfire, which erupted at the Kareas site, spread smoke over much of southern Athens and was visible throughout the Greek capital. The fire attracted a good portion of greater Athens’ fire brigade.
The frequency and the sudden eruption of several wildfires within a 12-hour period raised suspicions and generated concerns in the crisis-plagued, especially during a week that first saw an 11th-hour deal with European creditors and a late-night approval by the Greek parliament that witnessed more than one-fourth of the ruling party’s MPs going against the party line in not voting for the deal. The wildfire near Neapolis, for instance, erupted between 3 and 4 a.m., a time when very little human activity is conducted, especially in the middle of the night.
Wildfires of various magnitudes were reported in the Afrati site on large Evia island, hugging the Greek mainland’s eastern coast; in Malakasa, due north of Athens;
Other blazes were reported in Corinth, Achaia and Argolida prefectures, all in the Peloponnese, southern Greece. Another wildfire on the island of Kythera reportedly knocked out power on part of the island.
The spate of wildfire was eerily reminiscent of August 2007, when a massive wildfire front roared through a north-south arc in the western Peloponnese, causing fatalities and billions of euros in damages.
Speaking on Friday, DM Defence Minister Panos Kammenos said several armed forces units were placed on “fire-watch” patrols in various places around the country.
“Over the past few hours around Greece we are seeing wildfires … Because it is very likely that we will witness arson and an effort to recreate the climate of 2007, the armed forces have received orders to patrol throughout Greece,” he said.
Meanwhile, the video below shows an Erickson firefighting helicopter, which was participating in efforts to extinguish a wide-ranging wildfire in southern Laconia prefecture, almost crashed on Friday after its rotor blade was caught in a tree.
The chopper was flying at a low altitude.
Earlier,
(UPD)-17.45 A new fire erupted in the city of Nafplio in the northeast of Peloponnese. The fires in Nafplio broke out in the Tolos landfill around the area of Likotroupi. There are 22 fire fighters, 1 fire engine and 9 other land vehicles operating in the wider Tolos area. Another fire has broken out in the area of Malakasa, 30klm north of Athens and situated on the northern ring of the Partnitha mountain range. 10 fire engines with 30 fire fighters and 2 aeroplanes are ojn the spot. 3 camps were evacuated for precautionary reasons. PM Tsipras called for citizens to keep calm. He added that he has asked for the military and air force to be on high alert in case there assistance is rquired. The fire is raging out of control in the area of Kareas. At this moment 100 fire fighters, 70 fire engines, two fire fighting planes and two helicopters, aided by local residents are battling to contain the spread of the fire and save properties. The nun’s Monastery of Saint John in the mountain of Hymettus is surrounded by flames. According to reports all 40 nuns have been safely evacuated from the monastery. The fire front is moving into two directions: One towards the west side engulfing the Monastery of Saint John while the other is moving to the east side of Kareas towards Ilioupolis. PM Alexis Tsipras is overseeing the efforts by at the Centre for Civil Protection. SYRIZA MP Lafazanis visited Kareas and was met with the outrage of locals who verbally attacked him, calling on him to leave immediately. Some residents are abandoning their homes, while according to reports a 58-year old man is dead in the blaze in Laconia prefecture. It is not yet clear if his death was caused by the wildfire or other reasons. One of the four fire-fighting planes working to put out a blaze near Neapolis, in Laconia, in the extreme southeast of the Peloponnese, was forced to make an emergency landing. Meanwhile, a new wildfire broke out in the Koropi district, east of Athens proper, near the training ground of Panathinakos football club.
(UPD) A wildfire has erupted out in the high-ground Kareas district overlooking the greater Athens area from the east, on the western slopes of Mt. Hymettus. The smoke was visible throughout Athens. Gusty winds were making fire-fighting efforts difficult. According to reports, the wildfire started close to a cemetery in the municipality of Vyronas.
A wildfire broke out at 3.50 a.m. on Friday near Neapolis, Laconia prefecture, a picturesque harbor town in the extreme SE Peloponnese.
The mayor of the seaside town of Monemvasia (Malvasia), Herakles Trihilis, said the wildfire had reached several villages. Firefighters and 20 firetrucks were dispatched to the area. Alongside the fire brigade are 14 volunteers and four trucks dispatched by the region’s municipality. Two aircraft have also been dispatched to assist the firefighters.
Strong winds are fueling the fire. Its cause is still unknown.
Fire danger map for July 17:
