Evacuations ordered near Athens as Greek authorities try to contain wildfires

By Chris Liakos, Alex Stambaugh and Caitlin Danaher, CNN

(CNN) — A deadly and fast-spreading wildfire tore through several neighborhoods close to the Greek capital of Athens on Monday, triggering a multi-pronged rescue effort coordinated with European allies.

Emergency crews were extinguishing smaller hotspots amid an “improving” situation, the national fire service reported Tuesday, after the main blaze began Sunday afternoon near the town of Varnavas, north of Athens.

At least one person died, after a burned body was found inside a building in Chalandri, around 8 kilometers (5 miles) northeast of the capital, ERT reported.

More than 700 firefighters, 199 vehicles and 35 water-bombing aircraft have been deployed, according to Greek public broadcaster ERT and affiliate CNN Greece. At least six countries in the region have bolstered rescue operations, including France, Italy, Czech Republic, Serbia, Romania and Turkey, according to fire officials.

New evacuations were issued Tuesday morning for residents in at least one area near the capital, according to ERT and CNN Greece.

The scale and rapidity of the wildfire – which burned 156 square miles (400 square kilometers) – was exacerbated by strong winds, prolonged drought and impenetrable dense, unburnt forest, said the climate crisis and civil protection minister, Vassilis Kikilias.

Fires could be seen raging near houses on Greek TV. Some yards were burning. Not all residents have left affected areas, instead staying behind in an effort to save their homes.

Authorities warned Monday that the wildfire was raging towards Penteli, around 16 kilometers (about 10 miles) northeast of Athens, with “great momentum.” The area lies at the foot of Mount Penteli, which is surrounded by swathes of wooded terrain, according to Reuters.

The wildfires also threatened the premises of the National Observatory of Athens – an institute founded in 1842 – Theodore Giannaros, a researcher, said on Facebook.

Although wildfires are common in Greek summers, climate scientists say that unusually hot and dry weather linked to global warming make the blazes fiercer and more common. Greek authorities have battled dozens of blazes already this summer after enduring its hottest June and July on record.

‘You couldn’t breathe’

Locals in Greece described terrifying scenes of animals struggling to escape the turbulent wildfires, as officials called on European allies to support rescue efforts.

One local said the sight of flames across her local forest “hurts,” according to Reuters. “We have grown up in this forest. We feel great sadness and anger,” said Marina Kalogerakou, 24.

“We are at God’s mercy,” Dimitris, a local who did not give his surname, told Greek TV. The breeder was worried about the fate of his 100 goats and five dogs. “I could hear them dying,” he said, adding that he and his son were trying to put out the fires using buckets.

“Things are very difficult and there is constant resurgence, raining ashes,” one visibly exhausted firefighter told Greek TV.

Another resident crashed their car into a pine tree while trying escape the blaze, Reuters reported. “I couldn’t see,” said Pantelis Kyriazis, as he pointed to his bleeding elbow.

Further south, in the area of Dioni, a resident faced “suffocating” clouds of smoke, as he doused his home with water, according to the Associated Press.

“The wind would go in one direction and then in the other. The smoke was suffocating. You couldn’t see. Your eyes teared up. You couldn’t breathe,” said Spyros Gorilas.

Officials also said that homes have been damaged, without specifying how many.

Since Sunday, health and emergency workers have treated 13 citizens and two firefighters with burn and respiratory injuries, fire services said. Three hospitals in the Attica region were on heightened alert. Two dozen children were evacuated from a hospital in Penteli, according to the health minister, Adonis Georgiadis.

Meanwhile, residents near the capital of Athens were asked to evacuate their homes on Monday.

The Greek government on Monday urged the European Union to bolster air and ground operations. France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Spain and Turkey have reportedly responded to calls for assistance.

Crews in France have been battling their own blaze after a fire in southwestern Lot-et-Garonne ravaged 44 hectares of forest, according to French broadcaster, France 3. More than 150 firefighters were deployed on Monday.

The wildfire has raised fears that Greece could be heading for a repeat of last summer, when blazes scorched through several regions and islands, including its heavily-forested national park, known as the “lungs of Athens.”

CNN has reported that a recent spike in the number of disappearing people in Greece could be linked to extreme heat in the country. In June, several tourists disappeared after going for a walk and were later found dead in several locations across the country. Authorities have warned people not to underestimate the impacts of searing temperatures.

The story has been updated with developments.

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CNN’s Zahid Mahmood, Niamh Kennedy and Eleni Giokos contributed reporting.