The intensity of the largest forest fire in Greece this year has weakened on the outskirts of Athens thanks to weaker winds.
One person died in the fire, cars, buildings, fields and forests were destroyed.
Hundreds of firefighters, supported by ten firefighting planes, have been battling the blaze since Sunday, August 11, as the fire spread from the forest to the northern suburbs of Athens.
Residents panicked because they hadn’t seen a fire like this so close to the city center in decades.
“The situation has improved, but there are random fires. For now, we have no new fronts, only sporadic flare-ups, but we remain on high alert,” said a representative of the fire brigade.
The government announced compensation and measures to help victims of the fire, which the Greek National Observatory said damaged about 10,000 hectares of land.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is expected to chair a ministerial meeting on the fire tonight.
Firefighting planes arrived from France and Italy as part of the European Civil Protection Mechanism, a government official said.
The Czech Republic sent 75 firefighters and 25 fire trucks to assist ground teams.
Yesterday, the fire engulfed the suburb of Vrilisi, 14 kilometers from the center of Athens. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
With winds expected to pick up again and temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius forecast, Greece will remain on fire alert until Thursday 15 August, Srna writes.
Photo: Srna news agency
