ATHENS: Wildfires fanned by heavy winds burned across multiple areas of Greece on Saturday, including near Athens, with large-scale firefighting operations and emergency evacuations underway. Blazes fed by gale-force winds flared up across Greece, which until recent days had experienced fewer heatwaves and a relatively quiet fire season.
Greek authorities issued emergency alerts for several areas for Saturday and warned of extreme wildfire risk in the regions of Attica and Evia. More than 300 firefighters, 92 firefighting trucks, heavy machinery and aircraft have continued to battle a conflagration in the region of Boeotia, where over 200 people from the town of Agios Vasileios, about 80 kilometres northwest of Athens, had to be evacuated by sea.
Another 12 people, fleeing the same blaze, were evacuated from the beach in Porto Germeno by Greek Coast Guard patrol boats and a Fire Service vessel. Firefighting operations have also continued overnight in the regions of Argolida and Arta. On the Greek island of Crete, crews were still tackling persistent hot spots along a 15-km front and guarding against fresh outbreaks. A fire that broke out in central Crete forced the evacuation of hundreds of tourists and locals, including by boat from coastal communities. — Reuters
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