Greek firefighters battle forest fires for second day amid strong winds – Euractiv

Greek firefighters battled two forest fires near Athens in strong winds on Sunday (30 June), just hours after they managed to extinguish blazes in mountainous terrain also near the capital, as well as on an island in the Aegean Sea.

Dozens of firefighters in full gear, supported by 23 firefighting aircraft, fought using hoses to extinguish the blaze in a sparsely populated area near the town of Keratea, about 35 km south of Athens.

Authorities ordered an evacuation before the flames of burning pine and olive trees spread to homes.

Another fire broke out in the town of Stamata, north of Athens, and devoured a lush pine forest, leaving plumes of smoke rising over parts of the city.

It does not currently pose a threat to homes.

Dozens of forest fires broke out across much of Greece over the weekend due to hot and windy conditions, with people advised to avoid wooded areas.

Firefighters continued to battle on the island of Serifos, where a fire broke out in low vegetation on Saturday. The blaze spread quickly, fanned by strong winds, damaging homes and forcing residents of several villages to evacuate.

The fire, which at one point spread across an area of ​​15 km, destroyed holiday homes and warehouses, the island’s mayor, Kostas Revinthis, told Greek television.

Authorities said they had managed to contain another fire in the mountainous Parnitha forest on Sunday morning, near a nature reserve on the outskirts of Athens.

Forest fires are common in the Mediterranean country, but have become more devastating in recent years as summers have become warmer, drier and windier, a development that scientists attribute to the effects of climate change.

After last summer’s deadly forest fires and the warmest winter on record, Greece has developed a new doctrine that involves sending an extra fire truck to each new blaze, stepping up air support and clearing forests.

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