A forest fire, fanned by strong winds, broke out on Monday in Kouvaras, 50km east of Athens, Greek firefighters said, as authorities ordered the precautionary evacuation of several seaside areas. “It’s a difficult fire, the winds are very strong, up to 7 Beaufort (50 to 60 km / h),” said Yannis Artopios, spokesman for the fire brigade, as Greece has been experiencing a wave of heat wave since Thursday. with peaks over 44 degrees in the center of the country.
Seven water bombers, four helicopters and 150 firefighters, including a team of 30 Romanian firefighters, were fighting the two fronts of this fire, according to local media. The fire, which destroyed brushwood, quickly spread to the south of the Attica region, near the seaside areas of Lagonissi, Anavyssos and Saronida where there are many secondary houses. Traffic was brought to a standstill on nearby roads in Kalyvia, which were invaded by thick smoke.
A peak at 44.2 degrees in the region of Thebes
Authorities asked residents to leave as a precaution while a monastery was evacuated. Near the Isthmus of Corinth, in a forest area close to a famous seaside resort, Loutraki, a fire was also underway, Greek news agency ANA reported. Evacuations as a precaution were also ordered there, according to the same source. According to the firefighters quoted by ANA, ground and air forces have already been mobilized as strong winds blow in the area.
Like part of Europe, Greece was hit this weekend by its first heat wave of the year with a peak of 44.2 degrees in the region of Thebes (center), according to the National Observatory of Athens . In Athens, the mercury climbed to 39 degrees on Saturday and the emblematic site of the Acropolis, the most visited in the country, remained closed during the hottest hours of the day, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Sunday evening, the thermometer began to drop slightly and the Ministry for the Climate Crisis warned of the “increased risk” of fires due to strong winds, between 50 and 60 km / h.
While temperatures are expected to drop 2 to 4 degrees by Wednesday, another heat wave is expected from Thursday with expected highs of 43 degrees locally, according to national weather services EMY. “We are at the heart of the firefighting period and the expected conditions will be particularly difficult favoring forest fires”, warned Yannis Artopios.