The 2024 Greek wildfires are a series of 30-kilometre-long lines of forest fires across the Attica region. This series of fires started on August 11 and lasted until August 14, 2024. Media outlets referred to this as: “Greece’s worst wildfire of the year 2024.”[1]
Description
editThe series of wildfires started with two large forest fires on August 11, 2024, at 03:00 P.M., 35 km north of Athens, near Varnavas.[2] Some of the fires in this series had flames were higher than 25 meters (80 feet).[3] The fires were ignited by hot and windy conditions in the area. The summer of 2024 is said to be Greece's hottest June and July on record.[4]
10 communities surrounding Varnava were evacuated to prevent wide-scale destruction.
Efforts to contain and combat
editTo combat this fire, 700 firefighters were deployed accompanied by volunteers, 190 fire engines, and 33 water-bombing aircraft. On August 12, Greece activated the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). Additionally, aid was sent to Greece by the Czech Republic (sending 75 firefighters), Turkey, France, Italy, and Spain. The aid was sent in the form of planes and helicopters.[5]
Damage
editDue to the fires, huge clouds of smoke filled the sky, resulting in eight people being hospitalized with respiratory issues. As the fires approached Athens, they had already taken over Mount Penteli. This led to the death of one woman[6] and the evacuation of thousands of residents. Two firefighters were injured in attempts to contain the fire. As per RC European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), by August 13, 10,630 hectares of land in the East Attica region had been burned.
As of August 14, the fires had burned 40 square miles of land, northeast of Athens.[7] In total, it took into grasp, 100,000 acres of land.
The fires badly affected the suburbs of Nea Penteli, Palaia Penteli, Patima Chalandri, and Vrilissia, with 100 homes damaged beyond repair.[8]
References
edit- ^ Perrin | Rowan | Xie, Lucy | Claudia | Qin (2024-08-14). "Greece wildfires 2024: is it safe to travel or should I cancel my holiday?". The Times. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ "Greece largest forest fires in 2024 reached the outskirts of Athens | CTIF - International Association of Fire Services for Safer Citizens through Skilled Firefighters". ctif.org. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ Admin. "Greek wildfires engulf mountain as they approach capital Athens". 24newshd.tv. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ Xie, Lucy Perrin | Claudia Rowan | Qin (2024-08-14). "Greece wildfires 2024: is it safe to travel or should I cancel my holiday?". The Times. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ "Greece - Wildfires, update (media, Greek Civil Protection, EFFIS) (ECHO Daily Flash of 13 August 2024) - Greece | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2024-08-13. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ Angelos Tsatsis and Karolina Tagaris. Greek wildfire eases near Athens after one death. Reuters. 2024-09-18.
- ^ Paddison, Laura (2024-08-16). "Photos from space show just how close Greece wildfires got to burning whole towns". CNN. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ Mohamed, Edna. "How serious are the wildfires near Athens, Greece?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-09-18.