Thousands flee as fires reach Athens suburbs

(NECN/APTV) – A massive wildfire tore through outlying suburbs north of the Greek capital Athens early on Sunday, destroying homes and forcing thousands to flee in dramatic overnight evacuations, fire service and local officials said. The fires near the capital raged for a third day, blackening thousands of hectares of rugged land covered by pine forest or thick bushes. Anti-aircraft missiles at a nearby base were removed as flames approached, the army said. A state of emergency was declared in greater Athens, in the worst destruction seen there since massive fires struck southern Greece in 2007 and killed more than 70 people. After daybreak on Sunday, planes and helicopters resumed water drops following an eight-hour pause that allowed the wildfire to spread across parts of Mount Penteli and reach suburban homes. Clouds of black smoke filled the capital’s skyline and obscured the sun. Authorities evacuated two large children’s hospitals, camp sites and homes in villages and outlying suburban areas threatened by blazes that scattered ash on streets across the city. Fire service officials said no casualties had been reported by early on Sunday, despite the overnight evacuations of hundreds of hillside homes on the outskirts of the city. With planes and helicopters grounded after nightfall, fire service officials said their effort, aided by a lull in strong winds, was concentrated on protecting more than six towns where homes were under threat. Late on Saturday evening, pictures from the residential suburb of Dionysos showed the extent of the disaster. The blaze was also close to the suburb of Rodopolis where fire fighters used a specially converted tank to protect homes. Video from near Mount Penteli showed the scale of the task facing fire fighters. Residents, volunteers and army conscripts desperately tried to prevent the blaze from engulfing houses on Saturday night as they were confronted with a wall of flames. “Only if one million Greeks come and help, could we manage to put the fire out,” said one man. The fires, which started late on Friday, were reported in an area more than 25 miles (40 kilometres) wide. Some of the threatened areas were in the vicinity of the town of Marathon, from which the modern long-distance foot race takes its name. Municipal officials in that area said the fire was threatening the archaeological site of Rhamnus, home to two 2,500-year-old temples. Winds of up to 50 kilometers per hour (30 miles per hour) were forecast on Sunday, while officials said the thick smoke was hampering water drops. Elsewhere in Greece, serious fires were reported on the islands of Evia and Skyros.