Beaches around Athens have been evacuated as Greek firefighters and water bombing planes attempted to tackle a brutal wildfire that threatens much of southern Greece.
The latest inferno broke out in the central region of Boeotia, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of Athens, rescue services said, as several countries in southern Europe continue to battle wildfires amid searing temperatures this summer.
That blaze has already claimed one life – a shepherd who attempted to save his livestock but was unable to escape, according to firefighters.
Around 56 firefighters assisted by four water-dropping aircraft were trying to extinguish the flames, an official from the fire service told AFP.
Civil protection authorities warned of an ‘extreme’ fire risk in the region around Athens and other parts of southern Greece, all while fires continued to burn out of control for a third day in northeastern Greece near the port city of Alexandroupolis.
Firefighting crews are deployed on several fronts and are trying to halt the fire’s progression towards the Dadia National Park, which suffered substantial damage from wildfires last year. More than 200 firefighters with the help of aircraft, volunteers and police are currently attacking the blazes across Greece.
Seven firefighters and one volunteer had to be taken to hospital with injuries, over the weekend, officials said.
Some 12 communities have been evacuated over the weekend and civil protection authorities urged residents to remain indoors due to the smoke.
The area has been officially declared to be in a state of emergency.
The very hot and dry conditions which increase the fire risk will persist until Friday, according to meteorologists.
Last month, around 20,000 people, mostly tourists, had to be evacuated from Rhodes island after a fire broke out and was fanned by strong winds.
Almost 17,770 hectares (more than 43,000 acres) were ravaged in 10 days in the south of the holiday island in the southeastern Aegean Sea.
At the end of July, Greece experienced its worst heatwave ever for a month of July, with temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius (more than 104 Fahrenheit) in many places, according to the National Observatory in Athens.
It comes as Tenerife continues to fight wildfires of their own that police believe were started deliberately.
Canary Islands regional president Fernando Clavijo said police had opened three lines of investigation but did not say if there had been any arrests.
Improved weather conditions helped firefighters make advances overnight in their battle to tame the blaze that has raged out of control for the past five days, authorities said on Sunday.
Tenerife governor Rosa Davila said at a news conference: ‘The night was very difficult but thanks to the work of the firefighters, the results have been very positive.’..Source – Read More!
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