An industrial park and six villages near the town of Megara, west of Athens, were evacuated today as hundreds of firefighters battled for a third day to contain a major forest fire that has destroyed thousands of hectares of forest and dozens of homes, the online edition of the Greek newspaper "Kathimerini" reported. Two people have been arrested and face criminal charges in connection with a wind farm whose infrastructure is believed to have started the fire, BTA reported.
Strong and unpredictable winds continue to hamper firefighting efforts as authorities are on high alert for new fires in the wider Athens area, which, along with the island of Evia, is at risk of a Category 4 wildfire today on a 5-point scale rock.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the country was facing “extremely difficult days, with extreme weather conditions“ and pledged state support for people whose homes were destroyed or damaged.
“We must be honest with each other“, he said in a social media post. “In recent years, we have invested more than ever in strengthening civil protection (...) But there are times when nature and the force of weather conditions surpass all human planning and operational capabilities.“
The forest fire, which started on Friday in Agios Vasilios and on Saturday moved east through Porto Germeno, a coastal town on the Gulf of Corinth about 70 kilometers west of Athens, was heading towards Megara on Saturday, with about 500 firefighters with 134 fire engines trying to contain the spread
The Megara industrial park was evacuated today, along with six villages in the area.
Greek state broadcaster ERT, quoted by "Kathimerini", reported that around 200 homes had been destroyed or damaged in Porto Germeno, while around 10,000 hectares of forest and shrubland had been burned.
Eight firefighting aircraft joined the operation early in the morning, although their efforts were hampered by winds gusting to over 100 kilometres per hour, while ground forces included two teams of 23 firefighters with four fire engines each from France and Romania.
On the western island of Kefalonia, a fire near the village of Pastra forced the evacuation of eight villages as 31 firefighters and seven fire engines battled the flames of place.
Authorities have arrested two people suspected of accidentally starting a huge fire west of Athens, believed to have been sparked by sparks from cables connecting a wind farm to the main electricity grid. The two men were involved in the construction of the wind farm and face criminal charges.
Other smaller fires continue to burn in several parts of Greece.
A series of devastating wildfires swept through the country last week amid strong winds, and three firefighters died battling the blazes on the southern island of Crete and in the southern Peloponnese.