Wildfires West of Athens Largely Under Control
Little wind and firefighting efforts throughout the night finally lead to success: The situation of the fires in Greece has improved greatly, although there is still no all-clear.
Athens (dpa) - Hundreds of firefighters and volunteers fought for the fourth consecutive night, and in the morning, with good weather and little wind, firefighting helicopters took off again, and finally there are signs of relief: The Greek fire brigade has largely brought the fire fronts west of Athens under control.
However, there is still no all-clear. According to a fire brigade spokesman, the hot midday hours are particularly critical. "Yesterday we observed that from noon new fires developed from embers because the temperature rose and humidity decreased," said Giannis Artopoios to the news channel ERTnews. They want to combat this phenomenon. Up to 30 firefighting helicopters and planes are to be deployed during the course of the day.
The huge area over which the fires had raged is also problematic, said Artopoios. In the first days of the fires, the extremely strong winds drove the flames forward at a rapid pace. At the same time, air support was not possible due to the stormy gusts. Now they have to cope with the large extent, with widely scattered embers in partly inaccessible terrain. "We want to bring every spark under control, but that will take time," said the spokesman.
Military supports with heavy equipment
Around 520 firefighters are involved in the operations, including 46 rescue workers from France and Romania, as well as hundreds of volunteers. In addition, the military is providing support with heavy clearing equipment to cut protective firebreaks and clear the way for emergency services in densely vegetated regions.
Satellite images meanwhile show the extent of the fires; according to the Greek weather service Meteo of the National Observatory of Athens, more than 13,000 hectares of forest, bush and agricultural land are said to have burned - that is 133 square kilometers.
