GREEK TRAGEDY

Massive Wildfire Darkens Skies Over Athens

At least 200 people have been evacuated from villages north of the Greek capital as firefights battle 80-foot blazes just 22 miles from Athens.

Firefighters in Greece are scrambling to extinguish a wildfire that sparked only 22 miles from the Mediterranean nation’s capital in Athens. The fire broke out at approximately 3:00 p.m. local time and quickly surrounded the village of Varnavas, a local resident told Reuters. Gale-force winds picked up, further fanning the flames. Vassileios Vathrakogiannis, a spokesperson for the Greek fire brigade, later told the Associated Press the dangerous combination of wind and flames has spawned blazes up to 80 feet tall. The fire is advancing towards Lake Marathon—a man-made reservoir that serves as one of Athens’ sources of fresh water. More than 400 firefighters deployed alongside 15 aircraft and nine helicopters—but the aircraft were grounded after sunset. People living in Athens’ northern suburbs were told to evacuate by text message. About 200 people, mostly elderly people who ignored warnings, were forcibly evacuated by police. The wildfires come just after Greece marked its hottest June and July on record, according to data from the nation’s national observatory. In the midst of the heatwave in July, the nation was forced to close the Acropolis of Athens after temperatures climbed over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.