Greek Firefighters, Aided by Aircraft, Contain Blaze Near Athens
Calmer winds have allowed water-bombing planes to operate, but the risk of flare-ups remains high. Meanwhile, new fires are raging in the French departments of Var and Drôme.
Calmer winds have allowed water-bombing planes to operate, but the risk of flare-ups remains high. Meanwhile, new fires are raging in the French departments of Var and Drôme.
Greek firefighters are hoping to bring under control on Tuesday a forest fire on the outskirts of Athens that has been raging for a fifth day. Calmer winds have allowed the use of key firefighting aircraft, providing much-needed assistance in battling the blaze on rugged, hard-to-reach mountain terrain.
"More than 30 aircraft will be deployed in the area today," Yiannis Artopios, deputy spokesman for the fire service, told state broadcaster ERT. According to him, over 500 firefighters are engaged in villages around Mount Kithairon, located about 60 kilometers northwest of the capital.
Although the fire is currently under control, authorities warn that the danger is not over. Large areas affected by the flames still harbor active hotspots. "This is a vast area and it could flare up again at any moment," Artopios warned, stressing the need for constant vigilance.
The fires have claimed the lives of five firefighters since last week. On Sunday, two Bell helicopters collided while operating on the western edge of Athens, killing a Danish pilot and his Greek co-pilot. Last week, three firefighters also lost their lives in fires on Crete and the Peloponnese.
The scale of the crisis was described by Theodore Giannaros, senior wildfire meteorologist at the National Observatory. "I would say this is definitely one of the worst fire crises I have seen in the last, perhaps, 8 to 10 years," he told AFP. According to observatory data, winds in late July were the strongest in 15 years. The fire that broke out on Friday near Athens has consumed more than 13,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land.
France is not spared from the fiery onslaught. In the Var department, a fire near the Gros Bessillon massif, which broke out on Friday, has scorched about 1,850 hectares. "The fire is no longer advancing, but caution is still needed," the Var prefect said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that firefighters continued to treat the edges of the fire zone. Around 1,000 firefighters with 250 vehicles remain on the ground, supported by two Canadair aircraft and a helicopter.
Meanwhile, a new fire broke out on Monday in Diois (Drôme), affecting at least 110 hectares. According to the prefecture, "several hundred hectares are potentially threatened" and there is a risk that "the fire could cross the ridge line." Seven Canadairs and two Dash aircraft were involved in the response, and 50 people were evacuated preventively from the hamlet of Montlahuc.
Good news comes from Gironde, where thousands of residents of Porge and Lège-Cap-Ferret can return to their homes. This means that nearly all of the 224,000 people who were evacuated preventively from 23 municipalities since the fire broke out on July 22 are back home. Eight campsites on the tourist peninsula of Cap Ferret have also reopened.
To help those affected, a major charity concert is scheduled for August 27 at the Arkéa Arena in Bordeaux. Numerous well-known French musicians will perform, including Renaud, Zazie, Pascal Obispo, Gaëtan Roussel, Julien Clerc, and Bénabar. "The lineup is far from complete, and everyone is volunteering," host Julien Courbet told RTL, adding that viewers will be able to choose via the Foundation of France whether they want to donate to victims of the fires in Var, Bouches-du-Rhône, or Hérault.
