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For over 20 hours, firefighters in Greece have been working to deliver “extraordinarily harmful” wildfires below management, the nation’s local weather minister mentioned on Monday.
“Since yesterday afternoon, the residents of northeastern Attica have been examined by an especially harmful hearth with which now we have been combating for over 20 hours below dramatic circumstances,” Minister of Local weather Disaster and Civil Safety Vassilis Kikilias mentioned in a statement posted in Greek.
A helicopter drops water close to Varnava village throughout a wildfire, north of Athens, Greece, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, with many areas of the nation on excessive alert resulting from excessive temperatures and wind speeds. (AP Picture/Michael Varaklas).
Kikilias mentioned robust winds and extended drought circumstances have made the wildfires significantly troublesome to combat.
“In the meanwhile, a fierce battle is being fought on two fronts: One is within the Kallietechnopolis space and the opposite is within the Grammatik space,” he mentioned.
A home burns in Varnava village throughout a wildfire, north of Athens, Greece, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024. Many areas of the nation are on excessive alert resulting from excessive temperatures and winds. (AP Picture/Michael Varaklas).
A significant forest hearth was raging uncontrolled on the northern fringes of the Greek capital Monday, triggering quite a few evacuations of Athens suburbs and outlying areas as robust, swirling winds hampered the efforts of tons of of firefighters and dozens of water-dropping planes.
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Confronted with an enormous, fast-moving blaze that despatched flames towering at instances to heights of over 25 metres, Greece requested for help from different international locations, activating Europe’s mutual civil safety mechanism.
The fireplace, which started Sunday afternoon, burned houses and despatched a blanket of smoke and ash over central Athens, the place the scent of burning lingered within the air. Energy cuts had been reported in a number of components of the capital and in addition affected visitors lights at main junctions within the centre.
The wildfire was racing via pine forests left tinder-dry by repeated warmth waves this summer time. June and July of this 12 months had been the most popular months ever recorded in Greece, which additionally recorded its warmest winter ever.
Smoke from wildfires is seen above the Hadrian’s Arch in central Athens, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, after a blaze northeast of the capital pressured evacuations within the space. (AP Picture/Derek Gatopoulos).
A kids’s hospital and a navy hospital, two monasteries and a kids’s dwelling had been evacuated, whereas yet one more hospital was to be evacuated Monday afternoon. Greater than two dozen emergency push alerts had been despatched to cellphones within the space warning folks to flee, whereas houses in a number of areas had been burned, though the precise quantity was not instantly clear.
Kikilias mentioned 670 firefighters, 27 forestry groups, 183 autos and 32 aerial models, together with 17 planes and 15 helicopters, had been engaged to combat the wildfires.
French Inside Minister Gérald Darmanin mentioned France would ship a helicopter, 180 civil safety personnel and 55 hearth engines. Greece’s civil safety authority mentioned Italy was sending two water-dropping planes and the Czech Republic was sending 75 firefighters and 25 autos, whereas Spain and Turkey had been additionally finalizing reinforcements to ship to Greece.
“We are going to proceed with all our energy till the final outbreak is introduced below management and extinguished,” the minister mentioned.
Ottawa has up to date its journey advisory for Canadians in Greece.
A spokesperson for International Affairs informed International Information that whereas Canadians ought to take “regular safety precautions in Greece” amid the wildfires, these with respiratory circumstances ought to keep away from the areas the place the fires are burning.
They need to observe the recommendation of native emergency companies personnel, together with evacuation orders, and monitor native media for up-to-date info on the scenario.
Canadians in want of emergency help can name International Affairs Canada’s helpline at +1 613-996-8885, SMS at +1 613-686-3658, e-mail sos@international.gc.ca, or ship a WhatsApp message to +1 613-909-8881 or a Sign message to +1 613-909-8087. GAC can be obtainable on Telegram at Canada Emergency Overseas.
— with recordsdata from The Related Press
© 2024 International Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
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