Fires Rage On Across Greece on Saturday, Residents Told to Evacuate

Fires in multiple parts of Attica and the rest of Greece are causing significant damage as firefighters try to put them out on Saturday.

Five fires have broken out in Attica, with four of them raging through dry grass in the area around Elefsina and Aspropyrgos, and the fifth being a forest fire in Varnavas, near Marathonas.

A sixth fire has been located on the island of Evia, as well as a seventh being located around the city of Volos.

Fires across Attica, Greece rage on

The Elefsina and Aspropyrgos fires are in constant motion, and the fire brigade is continuously sweeping the area in an attempt to get the fires under control.

A total of 56 firefighters are currently deployed in the area of Elefsina and Aspropyrgos and they have access to fire engines, a helicopter and two aircraft. Traffic police are also involved, and they have stopped traffic on Zodochou Pigis avenue in Aspropyrgos in order to keep people from driving near the fires.

In Varnavas, a similar situation is unfolding, with both firefighters and traffic police involved. The area the fire is raging through is not densely populated, however, authorities have asked those who live nearby to evacuate their homes.

The situation in Varnavas, Attica is fairly severe, as the strong winds that blow through the area are stoking the fires. The fire brigade assigned to fight the flames is continually growing, and there are currently 67 firefighters, 16 fire engines, five helicopters and six larger aircraft.

A Russian Beriev Be-200 Altair has also been deployed to serve the area. The firefighting aircraft has a capacity of 12,000 liters (2,639 gallons) of water, and the last time it was used in Greece was to fight the massive forest fires which ravaged the south of the country in 2007.

Traffic police have gotten involved as well, stopping cars from driving down most of the roads in Varnavas.

Flames on the island of Evia

The fire on Evia broke out in a forest at Nea Styra. Residents of a nearby village named Niborio had already begun to evacuate when the fire brigade arrived, who confirmed that everyone needed to flee the area for their safety.

According to all the information currently available, the fire very grew quickly and spread to woods close to the settlement due to very strong winds which were blowing in the area.

Fire-fighting forces are being sent to Nea Styra from all over Evia and mainland Greece, as strong winds prohibited the three aircraft which had been deployed from being able to approach the flames in order to douse them from above.

The fire which was located around the city of Volos, in the mainland region of Thessaly, was reported to be under partial control by the fire brigade at 3:30 PM.

The fire began north of the Thessaly University School of Agriculture, and spread quickly due to how dry the area was. It quickly began to threaten residential areas, but the fire brigade was able to respond fast enough to avoid most damage.

According to recent reports, some livestock trapped in a fenced plot of land died due to the fire. A shed and a prefabricated home were also burnt in the fire, but all residents of the area are being held in a safe location.

A video of the response to the Varnava fire can be seen below.