Homes burn in Greece as wildfire sweeps through coastal towns

A large forest fire swept away the coastal cities of Palaia Fokaia and Thymari 40 km (25 miles) southeast of Athens, destroying houses and forcing evacuations as the beach approaches.

The flames broke out in low vegetation but quickly spread to residential areas, because Greece experienced its first heat wave in the summer.

At least 20 houses have been destroyed and many others have undergone structural damage, according to local officials.

Strong winds and rising temperatures up to 40 ° C have made fire extremely difficult to control.

Local residents joined firefighters, forest guards and planes trying to contain the fire and protect their homes. The Coast Guard was also deployed along the coast.

Emergency alerts were issued via the 112 system, urging residents to evacuate the series of cities and villages.

Greece has sought to strengthen its response to forest fires, which have become more and more common due to its long hot sums and its global warming.

18,000 additional firefighters supported by volunteers were deployed this year, according to officials, for the rest of the fire season which ends in October.

Earlier this week, thousands of hectares were burnt down on Chios, the fifth largest island in Greece. A Georgian woman was arrested on Wednesday for suspicion of having involuntarily launched a fire by dropping a cigarette.

A resident of Thymari declared Thursday on the Greek website Kathimerini that when she had reached her home, she had burned because of the strong winds. Another said that the houses of his neighbors had been destroyed but that he had been more likely.

Further east along the coast towards Cap Sounion, at the tip of the Attica peninsula, the fire crossed the coastal road and moved to the crest of a neighboring hill.

Authorities said more than 1,000 people had been evacuated from affected areas. Eleven tourists were saved from a beach after being trapped by the advanced flames, according to local authorities.

Despite the evacuation orders, some residents refused to leave and tried to defend their homes using garden pipes and other improvised means. The authorities have warned that such actions have endangered lives and obstructed emergency services.

According to the Greek state diffuser, at least 40 people, including children and elderly residents, were rescued by the police after being trapped.

The spokesman for the Vasileios firefighters Vathrakogiannis said that the firefighters were engaged in an intense battle on the ground and by air, especially in the areas where the fire was burning near the houses.

Local officials of the villages within Thymari lands described the situation as extremely difficult.

“All of the municipality’s facilities were open to all those who needed a shelter or a doctor,” said Babis Galanis, a local deputy mayor in Ert.

The chief of the firefighters of Greece ordered a special criminal fire on the scene to examine if the fire had been deliberately fixed.

According to a report by the Risk Assessment Committee of Greece, extremely high temperatures are expected on Friday, with a very high risk of forest fires, Evia, Peloponnesis and the North of the Speed.