Greek Wildfire Victims Escape as the Heatwave continues

A massive wildfire that is still raging north of Athens is forcing thousands of inhabitants to flee their houses as flames are jumping up to 25 meters (80 feet) in the air. Among the places where locals are being evacuated by the emergency services is the Marathon historic site. The fire service reported that houses and properties in the nearby town of Varnavas were on fire. Along with evacuating persons trapped by flames, firefighters were assisting a convoy of 20 to 25 automobiles that were attempting to flee the area. Since Saturday afternoon, forty fires have started in Greece, and firemen are now fighting seven of them.

Vassilis Kikilias, minister of climate disaster and civil safety, issued a warning that the severely dangerous weather will persist.

Shortly after his vacation ended, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis returned to Athens on Sunday to address the situation. By 19:00 BST, the wildfire that broke out in Varnavas on Sunday afternoon had consumed 100 square kilometers of land. A message from the national emergency number told the people of Varnavas and Grammatiko to leave. The historic town of Marathon's residents were ordered to flee in the direction of the beach village of Nea Makri.

A spokesman for the Fire Brigade, Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, stated that gusts as high as 8 Beaufort (39–46 mph) rapidly spread the fire to enormous proportions. "We are making a request of every local resident. They must follow the authorities' orders for their own safety and because the fire is spreading quickly, Mr. Vathrakogiannis stated. "At this time, the fire is advancing toward Marathon Lake with the forces against it being constantly reinforced, focusing on the flanks and dealing with flames that in some cases are higher than 25m," he stated. To put out the fire, 165 firefighters—including nine foot teams—as well as 30 trucks, seven firefighting aircraft, and five helicopters were sent into action.

It was anticipated that the fight against the fire would continue through the night due to the strong winds, which were severely impeding the efforts of the firefighting planes involved in the operation. On Sunday night, hospitals and medical facilities in Athens were on guard. A plume of brown smoke covered parts of the capital.