More than 260 firefighters battled a wildfire near Greece’s capital Athens on Saturday, as wind conditions raised alarms about the fire’s potential to escalate.
The blaze, which has already left one person dead, broke out on Friday in Keratea, a rural area some 43 kilometers (27 miles) southeast of Athens. Two others died after being caught in the gale-force winds.
What do we know about the fires near Athens?
The wildfire, stoked by winds of up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) per hour, destroyed several homes and farmlands in Keratea, setting olive orchards alight.
Footage published by local media showed gutted houses.
Local officials ordered the evacuation of several homes in the area and an elderly care center.
Police went door to door late on Friday night to ensure that the homes had been evacuated.
The remains of an elderly man were found in a burned-out structure near Keratea.
“The fire has weakened, but there are still active pockets,” a fire department spokesman told AFP news agency on Saturday.
Several other wildfires were reported across Greece, including regions around the historical site of Ancient Olympia and on the tourist island of Kefalonia.
Sustained strong winds could help spread fires
Winds of up to 74 kilometers (46 miles) an hour were forecast for Saturday, Greece’s national weather service EMY said.
Strong coastal winds also caused the deaths of two Vietnamese tourists, who were on a cruise ship group visiting a lunar-like, volcanic rock beach on the Cycladic island of Milos.
The 61-year-old woman fell into the sea at Sarakiniko beach, and a 65-year-old man tried to rescue her, according to the Greek coastguard.
After ferry travel for tens of thousands of summer holidaymakers was disrupted by the severe weather, a temporary ban on ships leaving or arriving at Athens ports was lifted on Saturday.
Turkey wildfires shut key waterway
In neighbouring Turkey, wildfires caused the Dardanelles Strait, a waterway linking the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara, to be shut temporarily in both directions.
Hundreds of people were evacuated from areas close to the blazes in the northwestern province of Canakkale.
Greece, Turkey other Mediterranean countries are known for hot and dry summers that scientists have dubbed “a wildfire hot spot.”
The two neighbors have been enduring a summer heatwave, with Silopi in southeastern Turkey recording the highest-ever recorded temperature of 50.5 degrees Celsius (123 degrees Fahrenheit) at the end of last month.
Much of the region around Athens has had barely a drop of rain in months.
Forecasters in Greece and Turkey say the risk of wildfire will remain high until October.
The fires have become more destructive in recent years due to climate change, scientists say, sparking calls for new ways of tackling the issue.
Authorities are under growing pressure to invest in artificial intelligence and satellite monitoring to spot fires before they spread.
There are also calls for Mediterranean nations to expand cross-border firefighting collaboration, including shared rapid response teams and water-dropping planes and helicopters.
Edited by: Karl Sexton
