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At least one person is dead and hundreds of evacuation orders are in place as a massive fire scorches Greece, and it is getting dangerously close to the city of Athens.
The wildfire began of unknown causes on Sunday in the northern portion of the peninsula near the town of Varnavas, and has spread south to reach Athens in just one day. They do not know the exact area, but some estimates say that the fire has burnt an area of land in eastern Greece that is over 19 miles long, and it is beginning to enter a heavily populated area. One arm of the fire is burning some of the busy suburbs of Athens, while the west side of the fire is approaching the dense Tatoi Forest and the National Park of Parnitha-- the latter of which was devastated by Greek wildfires last year. To the southeast of the fire is more wooded area around Mount Pentelicus, which will fuel the flames even more. Due to continued arid conditions and hot weather through the summer, forests are extremely dry and easy to burn-- the slightest spark could turn the tinderbox into a blazing wildfire in minutes.
Residents of surrounding towns have been forced to evacuate, and hundreds of farms and homes have been burned to the ground by the flames which reached over 80 feet high in some areas. Almost everyone has been able to survive the fire, but many animals have died after owners were forced to leave them behind in their scramble to escape. Smoke has turned skies gray and sunsets to a deep orange, becoming a serious hazard-- air quality in the city and its suburbs has dropped significantly. At least a dozen citizens and several firefighters were treated for respiratory issues and burn injuries, but it has been hard to find help for many citizens. Since the wildfire has affected hospitals as well, some of the evacuees have had to evacuate from the hospitals treating them, while others have struggled to even find a hospital due to the fast-moving nature of the wildfire.
Authorities are racing to control the blaze, as it has entered the suburbs on Athens' northeastern side. According to the local fire department, they have dispatched over 700 firefighters with 190 vehicles, 17 water-dropping planes and 16 helicopters. France, the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, Serbia, Romania, and Turkey have responded to Greece's calls for help with more vehicles and personnel as well. According to officials, France will lend Greece a water-bombing helicopter and 200 firefighters with 28 fire trucks, the Czech Republic will give 75 firefighters and 25 vehicles, Italy will give two planes, and Turkey is sending two water-dropping planes and a helicopter. Spain, Serbia, and Romania are still deciding on their aid, but have promised to send support.
However, in order to stop the fire, they will also need help from the weather. Hot temperatures will continue into the next few days, reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) this week with low humidity and absolutely no precipitation. Due to the large amount of forest surrounding the fire, it will have plenty of fuel, and strong winds of up to 12 mph are expected later in the week. However, some lighter winds today will allow firefighters to contain some of the blaze and try to prevent more spreading on Thursday and Friday.
All of this is due to climate change, and Greece has been one of the hardest-hit countries amid the global heat crisis. As temperatures rise around the world, Greece and the Mediterranean is only becoming hotter, with summer temperatures consistently reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). June and July were the country's hottest months on record, along with a record-warm winter, and numerous fires devastated the entire Balkan region in 2023-- but it isn't just Greece. Around 1.25 million acres of land were burned in Europe in 2023, contrasting to the United States' 2.7 million acres. However, on the other hand, due to rising summer temperatures, only 2,300 people died due to heat in the US, while there were at least 47,000 heat-related deaths in Europe in 2023-- and that was lower than 2022, which reached a staggering 61,000 heat-related deaths.
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