Hundreds of firefighters in Greece continued to battle a massive wildfire Tuesday that has consumed several hectares of land in the northern suburbs of Athens and left at least one person dead.
Authorities say the body of a woman was discovered in the ruins of a burned out factory in the suburb of Vrilissia, located about 14 kilometers outside of the Greek capital. The victim is the first fatality reported since the fire broke out Sunday near the village of Varnavas, about 35 kilometers north of downtown Athens.
The blaze was fueled by dry pine forests and strong winds, which sent flames as high as 25 meters into the air.
More than 700 firefighters have responded, along with several water bombing aircraft to douse the inferno, which has destroyed scores of homes and businesses and surrounded Athens in a layer of smoke and ash.
The European Union announced Monday that it had activated the bloc’s civil protection mechanism at the request of the Greek government, which will bring in more firefighters and firefighting equipment.
Forecasters said conditions remained dangerous Tuesday, with temperatures rising to at least 38 degrees Celsius and wind speeds expected to reach anywhere from 39 kilometers to 60 kilometers per hour.
Multiple evacuation orders were issued Monday to residents in the Athens suburbs. About 380 police officers assisted in the evacuation and helped relocate over 250 people. Some residents who chose not to heed evacuation orders later became trapped and had to be rescued by firefighters.
A children’s home, children’s hospital, military hospital and two monasteries were evacuated on Monday.
This summer, Greece has experienced its hottest months on record, following the warmest winter ever recorded for the Mediterranean nation.
Officials attribute the conditions to climate change, with more frequent and larger fires popping up in the country.
The disaster has triggered memories of the 2018 wildfires that broke out in the coastal town of Mati, killing 104 people.
Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters.
