(ANSA-AFP) - ATHENS, 11 AGO - Greece was battling several
wildfires on Sunday, with smoke covering parts of the capital
Athens in a haze, amid warnings for extreme weather conditions
for the rest of the week. The country's minister for civil
protection had warned a day earlier that half the country was
under a high-risk warning for fires due to high temperatures,
wind gusts and drought conditions.
In the region of East Attica, a blaze in the town of Varnavas
was raging in an area with scattered houses, emitting so much
smoke that the capital Athens glowed red at one point on Sunday
afternoon. Fire officials said a force of 165 firefighters with
30 vehicles, seven firefighting aircraft and five helicopters
have been deployed while Varnavas residents were instructed to
evacuate.
Another fire erupted earlier on Sunday afternoon in Megara,
West Attica, triggering an evacuation alert. Forty-eight
firefighters equipped with 13 vehicles and additional volunteers
were working on the ground, while two planes and two helicopters
provided aerial support. In Thessaloniki, a fire in the town of
Lagadas was partially under control, with 20 firefighters, 10
vehicles and one helicopter at the scene. Climate crisis and
civil protection minister Vassilis Kikilias had warned Saturday
that weather conditions leading up to August 15 would be
dangerous for forest fires. (ANSA-AFP).
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