Hundreds of Greek firefighters continue to battle wildfires near Athens for a fifth day after strong winds pushed the fire to homes, pine forests, olive groves and farmland.
Although some fires have started to ease, firefighters remain on alert for persistent flare-ups northwest of Athens, where rugged hills and canyons hampered efforts to fully contain a blaze.
Fire crews supported by water-bombing aircraft and reinforcements from Romania and France were dousing flames west of Athens in the Gulf of Corinth since Friday. But strong winds made it harder to contain.
“We are talking about a fire where we didn't have an aircraft at our disposal for 30 continuous hours, which caused us a lot of difficulties," deputy fire brigade spokesperson Ioannis Artopoios told Greek public broadcaster ERT.
More than 1,000 people have been evacuated from the seaside resort of Porto Germeno and other areas west of the capital, including more than 250 rescued by boats from beaches in the area.
The blaze has been blamed on a faulty power line from a wind farm and led to the arrests of two contractors on charges of negligent arson.
It’s estimated more than 60 hectares of land have now burned across four wildfires in Greece.
It comes as thousands of people have been evacuated from the Greek island of Crete, after wildfires have threatened villages and tourist resorts.
Where are the wildfires in Greece?
Three firefighters have also died tackling three separate fires in Greece.
Two firefighters on a helicopter crashed and died on Sunday near the seaside community of Psatha, about 40 km (25 miles) from Athens, after a mid-air brush with a second helicopter, whose two crew members survived.
More than 400 firefighters and 21 aircraft were deployed near the communities of Kandili and Agia Skepi on Monday as plumes of thick black smoke and red flames engulfed lush pine forests.
Heavy machinery was being used to carve fire breaks to prevent the wildfire reaching homes, a fire brigade official said.
Strong and erratic winds over the past few days had prevented water bombers from drawing up seawater, leaving ground forces battling the blazes on their own, Deputy Climate Crisis Minister Kostas Katsafados told ERT.
Fast-moving flames destroyed lush forests and caused extensive damage to olive trees just months before harvest.
"It's an awful feeling when you build something with so much effort, and when money is not easy to find," Anastasia Hatzoglou said. She said her stone-built home suffered extensive damage, and her olive trees burned.
"It was so much effort, and when you put care into your property, your land, the oil that you make every year, it's not great," she told Reuters.
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