A raging wildfire has continued to engulf a popular coastal resort in Greece, even as hundreds of firefighters battle to put it out amid gusty winds.
The fire broke out on Friday near the coastal village of Agios Vasileios.
More than 300 firefighters have been deployed to control the wildfire, in an effort to prevent it from spreading to the area of Porto Germeno, some 70 kilometres (45 miles) northwest of Athens in the region of Viotia.
“The fire has reached the sea… homes have certainly been damaged,” a fire department spokesman told the French AFP news agency.
“The winds are very strong. Aircraft are trying to operate as best they can, but some are unable to and have been transferred to another fire (in the Peloponnese) where conditions are milder,” he added.
Winds up to 130 kilometres per hour, recorded on Saturday by the weather service of the National Observatory of Athens, have made the fire department’s efforts more difficult.
“The environmental damage is huge,” the mayor of Thebes, Giorgos Anastasiou, told Open TV.
Fire breaks out in several places across Greece
Wildfires have flared in several parts of the country this week, with more than 70 locations in Greece affected by Friday.
The Greek fire brigade said it was at the maximum level of alert, warning that the fire risk was particularly high in the Attica peninsula and in Evia, an island east of Athens where fires are frequent.
“The fire has reached the sea… homes have certainly been damaged,” a fire department spokesman told AFP.
Theodore Giannaros, a wildfire meteorologist and senior researcher at the National Observatory of Athens on Saturday said the damage to the Porto Germeno area was “inconceivable.”
Wildfires have raged in several parts of Greece this week, including the popular island of Crete, affecting some 5,000 hectares on the island. Three firefighters have lost their lives so far.
Several European countries have been battling savage wildfires this summer, amid extreme heatwaves and little rain.
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Edited by: Rana Taha
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