Hundreds of firefighters backed by more than 30 water-dropping planes were battling a major forest fire raging out of control Monday on the northern fringes of Athens.
A helicopter drops water near Varnava village during a wildfire, north of Athens, Greece, on Sunday, with many regions of the country on high alert due to high temperatures and wind speeds.
By mid-morning, the fire was burning mainly on two separate fronts, with some parts in particularly difficult to reach areas on a mountain northeast of Athens, Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said.Authorities were faced with"an exceptionally dangerous fire, which we have been fighting for more than 20 hours under dramatic circumstances," Kikilias said. Conditions were exacerbated by the very strong winds.
Authorities in nearby suburbs opened at least one sports hall and were providing rooms in hotels for evacuees, while yet more suburbs were put on standby for potential evacuation.The police department said 380 police officers with 77 vehicles, 36 motorcycles, three buses and four vans were assisting in the evacuations, and by mid-morning had helped move more than 250 people away from the path of the flames.
The fire department appealed to residents to follow evacuation orders issued by civil protection, with authorities noting that some people who had refused to leave their homes later became trapped and required rescuing, endangering the lives of firefighters.
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