Fires near Athens easing, firefighters on standby

Authorities said two forest fires that had been raging near Athens since Sunday, destroying dozens of homes and vehicles, had abated somewhat on Monday morning.

More than 100 firefighters in full gear, equipped with 42 water engines and seven foot units, fought the flames throughout the night in a sparsely populated area near the town of Keratea, about 35 km (22 miles) south of Athens. At first light of day, two helicopters joined the firefighting operation. Authorities said they were on alert to prevent scattered fires from spreading.

Authorities ordered evacuations on Sunday before flames from burning pine and olive trees engulfed at least 10 homes.

“I estimate that in (the settlements of) Plaka and Markati we have between 10 and 15 houses that are damaged, big or small, in (the settlements of) Plaka and Markati,” Lavreotiki Mayor Dimitris Loukas told Kathimerini on Sunday evening.

Another fire in the community of Stamata north of Athens was extinguished Monday morning after it burned a lush pine forest and sent plumes of smoke rising over parts of the town. No homes were burned, but a 45-year-old resident of the area suffered a heart attack and died.

A large contingent of firefighters remained in the area to battle the reignited flames.

Meanwhile, firefighters continued to battle two large fires on the Ionian island of Zakynthos and Viotia in central Greece.