One man lost his life in a deadly wildfire in Keratea, southeast of Athens, and thousands were forced to be evacuated as flames rapidly consumed homes and farmland.
The fire broke out shortly after 2 p.m. local time on Friday in the Manoutso area, quickly spreading through dry grass and agricultural plots. The body of the victim was discovered in his home in the Togani area, close to the fire’s origin.
Strong Winds Enhanced the Surge of Fire
The fire expanded quickly, fueled by strong winds reaching up to 9 on the Beaufort scale. Emergency alerts were sent by the 112 civil protection service, instructing residents to evacuate seven settlements: Synterina, Dimolaki, Maliasteka, Agiasma, Charvalo, Drosia, and the severely hit Ari, where flames swept through from one end to the other. Police helped evacuate at least 10 residents who had initially refused to leave.
Mayor Dimitris Loukas of Lavreotiki described the blaze as “extremely difficult” to control, stretching over seven kilometers. The fire moved from Manoutso toward Drosia, entering a pine forest and now threatens the Anavyssos area.
Meanwhile, a team of 190 firefighters, seven ground teams, 44 fire engines, and the mobile operations center “Olympus” are involved in a massive firefighting operation involving aerial support which includes 11 aircraft and seven helicopters, while heavy machinery from the Attica region and the military is being used to create firebreaks. Reinforcements from Romania and the Czech Republic have also joined the effort.
Residents of Several Villages Set to be Evacuated
Another major blaze erupted on Friday in Helidoni, a municipality of Ancient Olympia, Western Greece. Strong winds enhanced fire here as well, which spread rapidly. Fire officials worked swiftly to prevent blaze from reaching high-voltage power lines. Several villages such as Grammatikos, Lantzoi, Agios Georgios Lantzoïou, Pournari, and Irakleia were issued evacuation orders.
Residents were asked to move toward Pyrgos, media reports said. Six aircrafts and three choppers were helping firefighters in their work. Meanwhile, an individual trapped at football ground in Helidoni was rescued and hospitalized with severe burns.
Authorities continue to warn that the wildfire risk remains critical across Attica, the Peloponnese, and western Greece, as more than 50 agricultural and forest fires were reported nationwide in just 24 hours—one of the worst days this summer.
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