Greek authorities have warned people to stay indoors with their “windows closed” as 400 firefighters battled to contain blazes on the outskirts of Athens that were forcing the evacuation of entire communities.
Huge clouds of billowing smoke had by mid-afternoon on Sunday darkened the skies above the capital as 10 groups of “forest commandos” backed by water-bombing aircraft, helicopters and fire engines tried to douse flames fanned by gale-force winds. Volunteers had also joined the fight near the village of Varnava about 35km (21 miles) north of the city.
“Forces are being continually reinforced but they face flames that in many cases exceed 25 metres [in height]”, said the fire brigade spokesperson Vassileios Vathrakogiannis.
While one fire in western Attica had been brought under control, a second blaze north-east of Athens was still not contained. By nightfall the inferno was reported to be racing eastwards with the efforts of water-dropping planes stymied by the powerful winds. At least 10 communities around Varnava had been evacuated and firefighters were expected to continue throughout the night.
Health officials urged people to limit their movements and stay inside, saying the thick smoke had seriously affected the quality of the air across the Attic basin. By 4pm the skies above the Greek parliament in central Syntagma Square had turned a yellowish brown as ash clouds pushed by the winds travelled southward.
At least eight people were rushed to hospital with respiratory problems.
Unprecedented temperatures – June and July were the hottest on record – after the warmest winter ever have turned Greece’s terrain into a tinderbox, environmentalists have said.
In a first this summer the country registered a week-long heatwave before mid-June, a sign of the accelerated pace of climate breakdown.
At least 10 tourists, including the respected British nutritionist and TV presenter Dr Michael Mosley, are reported to have died earlier in the summer from heat exhaustion suffered as they took walks in blistering temperatures. Mosley is believed to have died barely two hours after he set off on a walk from a beach on the remote island of Symi in temperatures topping 40C.
Greece has been hit by hundreds of wildfires in recent months.
Sunday’s strong winds are showing no sign of waning and meteorologists predicted the days ahead were likely to be critical.
At least half of the country is expected to be under a “red alert”, a reflection of the heightened danger of wildfires due to the weather.
Speaking to the state broadcaster, ERT, the Athens Observatory’s research director, Kostas Lagouvardos, said: “What makes the situation so dangerous is the prolonged drought and very high temperatures that have lasted for so long.”