“Forty hours after the outbreak of an extremely dangerous fire in Varnavas, we can say that there is no longer an active front, but only scattered outbreaks.” In Greece, the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Vassilis Kikilias, stated on Tuesday, August 13, in a press releasethat the fire that ravaged the suburbs of Athens in the last three days was about to be brought under control.
Although firefighters continue to battle the flames in some places and the risk of fires remains very high for Wednesday, an initial human toll from local authorities indicates one person dead and 71 others injured (including five firefighters). On Tuesday morning, the body of a Moldovan woman in her sixties was found in a burnt-out factory in Halandri, near Athens.
From a material point of view, about a hundred houses suffered significant damage, according to the Greek civil protection. The mayors of Penteli, Varnavas and Halandri each reported about ten houses destroyed in their areas. Fueled by strong winds, the worst forest fire of the year in Greece spread across a dried-out territory and ravaged 10,000 hectares, destroying many buildings and vehicles.
Greek government criticized
In recent days, dozens of evacuation orders have been sent to residents of the affected areas and several stadiums have been opened to accommodate the thousands of displaced people. The Greek Interior Ministry promised on Tuesday to distribute 4.7 million euros to the eight municipalities affected by the flames. The city of Athens itself has been shrouded in acrid smoke for two days in a row.
Although the Ministry of Civil Protection continues to boast about its responsiveness to the fire, recalling the deployment of 702 firefighters, 199 land vehicles and 35 aircraft and helicopters, later joined by European reinforcements, the conservative government was criticized by the press on Tuesday. While the liberal daily Kathimerini evoked “immense destruction and questions still waiting to be answered”the left-wing newspaper Efsyn launched “Evacuate Maximou!” in reference to the building housing the Prime Minister's office.
“The climate crisis reminds us every day”recalled Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization, who said he was ready to “help meet the urgent health needs of affected communities”. Before insisting on the social network X : “We urge world leaders to deliver on their climate action promises, NOW.”
Source: Lemonde
