Fire in Greece spreads “like lightning” as families evacuate their homes in and out of Athens

A wildfire in Greece is spreading “like lightning,” reported a fire brigade spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakogiannis; families in and out of Athens continue evacuating their homes. 

Fire in Greece spreads “like lightning”

More than 400 firefighters aided by 16 waterbombing planes and 13 helicopters fought the fire which broke out in Greece on Sunday, August 10, at approximately 3pm. Fuelled by high temperatures, drought, and wind, the wildfire broke out just outside of Athens and rapidly spread to the capital, as smoke hovered above houses in and out of the city.

The fire spread to the Varnavas village, 35 km north of Athens, forcing at least 10 communities around Varnava to evacuate, as people battled to save their homes. Residents of the historic town of Marathon, 40km east of Athens were also evacuated, towards the beach town of Nea Marki.

“The village was surrounded in no time, in no time. It´s really windy,” said resident Katerina Fylaktou to the Press. “It started from one point and suddenly the whole village was surrounded.” At least half of the country has been under a “red alert” as temperatures are forecast to rise up to 39 degrees Celsius on Monday, August 12.

The fire brigade spokesperson stated; “The situation remains dangerous as the fire is spreading between residences”; flames continue to rise as high as 25 metres, engulfing the trees.

Actions against the spread of fire in Greece

To try and contain the national catastrophe, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis broke off his holiday arrangements and arrived back in Athens on Sunday evening to take further action. Greece´s Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kiklias reported that he had deployed emergency measures, including the army, police and volunteers to address the fires until August 15.

He noted; “Extremely high temperatures and dangerous weather conditions will prevail. Half of Greece will be red.” Health officials urged people to stay indoors with “windows closed,” and limit their movements, as the smoke had significantly affected the air quality; at least eight people were hospitalized with respiratory problems.

What caused the spread of fires in Greece

Since May, hundreds of wildfires have been breaking out across Greece. This year, the country registered its hottest June and July in history and is forecasting August to break another shattering record. As the same heatwave and fire crisis has spread amongst Spain and the Balkans, scientists express growing concern for the planet´s future.

With increasing heat and drought, governments across the globe are having to implement new measures to tackle the crisis. What drives these fires is the heat dome, which is created by an extensive dome which traps heat, like a lid on a pot that holds in steam.

Expert on extreme heat and climate change Hosmay Lopez explained that heat domes are linked to climate change. In the 1970s, there was one heat wave for every cold wave. Today, with the rise of climate change; “that ratio is more than two to one, and for some places, it´s three to one.”

Upcoming weeks will bring an increasing heatwave across Europe with temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius; especially intensified in France, Benelux, the Iberian peninsula, Italy and the Balkans, reported the weather forecasts.