Greece: Wildfire erupts near Athens damaging homes and cars
Greece: Wildfire erupts near Athens damaging homes and cars
Greece is once again facing fierce wildfires as flames erupted outside the capital on Saturday. Several houses and cars were damaged according to local authorities.
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Wildfires scorched about 300,000 acres of forest and bushland in Greece last summer [source: Getty]
A raged out of control on the outskirts of on Saturday, damaging houses and cars, the Fire Department said.
Fanned by strong winds, the blaze quickly spread across the slopes of Mount Hymettus which overlooks the capital, sending thick clouds of smoke over the southern suburbs.
As a precaution, civil protection authorities evacuated some parts of the Voula and Glyfada regions about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Athens centre.
A Reuters witness saw at least two houses severely damaged by the fire.
Helicopters fighting wildfires near the south suburbs of Athens right now,
— Savvas Karmaniolas (@savvaskarma)
"Due to the intense north winds, the fire quickly spread and approached the city," Fire Department spokesperson Yiannis Artopios said in a briefing.
"We ask our fellow citizens to be very careful," he added.
More than 130 firefighters aided by 6 aircraft and 4 helicopters dropped tonnes of water in an attempt to douse the blaze, which has raged for more than seven hours.
A spate of wildfires scorched about 300,000 acres of forest and bushland in different parts of last summer, amid the country's worst heatwave in 30 years.
The country has bitter memories of a 2018 blaze that tore through the seaside town of Mati near Athens, killing 102 people in a matter of hours.
[Reuters]
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