The EU Civil Protection Mechanism will join Greek firefighters battling towering wildfires near Athens for the third day.
Fuelled by gale-force winds, Greece’s worst wildfire this year has swept across scorched land, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes. At least one person has died, at least 66 people have been injured, with two firefighters hurt, according to the report.
European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič stated on Monday that the EU would send two planes from Italy, one helicopter from France, and hundreds of ground firefighting teams from Romania and the Czech Republic to help Greece.
Meanwhile Costas Tsigkas, head of the association of Greek firefighter officers, stated:
We are at a better level across the front. But conditions again will not be easy. There will be winds from midday onwards [and] every hour that passes will be more difficult.
Greece’s National Observatory said temperatures of up to 38 degrees Celsius and wind speeds of up to 39 kilometres per hour were expected in Athens on Tuesday.
About 700 firefighters, supported by 200 fire engines and nine aircraft, are battling a blaze that broke out Sunday afternoon in the town of Varnavas, about 35 kilometres northeast of Athens. The flames, fanned by intense winds, reached a 30-kilometre front line, exceeding 25 metres in height in some areas.
The fire destroyed at least 10,000 hectares of land, according to the National Observatory. The body of a woman was discovered in a burnt-out Athens factory on Tuesday morning. It was the first death caused by the wildfire.
