For a second consecutive day, hundreds of firefighters have been working to bring a deadly wildfire under control in the outskirts of Athens, as strong winds heighten concerns that the blaze could spread further.
According to the fire department, more than 260 personnel, supported by nearly 80 fire engines and 12 aircraft, have been deployed to the rural district of Keratea, located about 43 kilometres southeast of the Greek capital.
“The fire has weakened but there are still active pockets,” the spokesman told AFP.
A new fire broke out close to the nearby town of Kouvaras on Saturday but was quickly brought under control.
Dimitris Loukas, mayor of the nearest city of Lavrio, said the Keratea fire that broke out Friday had devastated nearly 10,000 acres of brush and forest.
“Many homes were destroyed, in addition to other properties, agricultural and forest land,” he told state news agency ANA.
The National Observatory in Athens on Saturday said the high winds will persist until at least Monday.
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Firefighters and police evacuated dozens of people late Friday from homes and an elderly care centre as the flames neared the coastal resort of Palaia Fokaia.
Firefighters later found the remains of an elderly man in a hut near Keratea.
He died in his bed, Loukas said.
What began as a postcard-perfect cruise stop on the Greek island of Milos turned tragic on Friday when gale-force winds turned Sarakiniko’s famed white rock beach into a danger zone.
Authorities say a 61-year-old Vietnamese woman was pulled into the churning Aegean, and a 65-year-old compatriot died trying to save her. Both were part of a cruise ship tour exploring the island’s otherworldly, volcanic coastline.
The Greek coastguard described the gusts as unforgiving, with the national weather service clocking winds at up to 74 kilometres (46 miles) per hour — enough to halt ferries, strand tens of thousands of travellers, and turn the summer seas into a hazard zone.
By Saturday, Athens had lifted its sailing ban, but for Milos, the tragedy has left a mark that no change in weather can quickly clear.