Residents forced to flee as wildfires rage near Athens

As millions watched the Olympics coming to an end with the passing of the torch from Paris to LA, Greece, the birthplace of the Games, was starting to battle a new flame rising on Sunday.

- RICH BOOTH

The country’s worst wildfire this year continued to spread into the Athens suburbs yesterday evening after first igniting on Sunday afternoon, forcing thousands of people to flee homes and hospitals.

Tourists on the hills around the Acropolis watched as smoke spread over the busy city. A warning has been issued to anyone near affected areas to exercise caution when leaving the house due to the density of the smoke. Power cuts were reported in several parts of the capital, now thick with the smell of burning.

The fire was burning in a wide arc on the capital’s northeastern fringes, sending a blanket of smoke over central Athens on Sunday. There has been no disruption reported at Athens airports where those landing and taking off could see a wall of smoke darkening the sky yesterday morning.

Almost 700 firefighters backed by volunteers, 190 fire engines and 33 waterbombing aircraft have been battling the blaze that broke out at 3pm on Sunday near the village of Varnavas 20 miles north of Athens. It was fanned by strong winds that quickly drove it out of control, more strong winds are predicted for the rest of the week.

Meteorologists and government officials have warned of the heightened danger of wildfires because of weather conditions from Sunday until Thursday, with half of the country placed under a “red alert” for wildfire hazard.

Flames towered at times to heights of over 25m, as the wall of flames edged towards more densely populated areas. The wildfire was racing through pine forests left tinder-dry by the hottest June and July ever recorded in Greece.