Greece fires: Extreme heat threatens to cause another fire in Athens, fire alert nationwide

As many as 100 homes have been destroyed in deadly wildfires that have ravaged Greece.

Residents fleeing the Athens outskirts returned to ruins, destroyed homes, ruined buildings and dead trees.

Sakis Morfis, a resident of Brilisia, said his home was “totally destroyed.”

The 70-year-old said: Reuters“Even the walls have collapsed. There is nothing left. There is no more morale, courage or money. Everything has been destroyed,” he said.

The government announced support measures for fire victims.

The package includes rent subsidies, a three-year property tax exemption and financial assistance.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has come under fire over his response to the devastating fires that have ravaged the country.

Kyriakos Beropoulos, leader of the right-wing Greek Solution party, called him “irresponsible” and called for his immediate resignation.

“At a time when even the city of Attica is burning, the prime minister remains missing, probably waiting for advice from his communications staff to take responsibility,” Veropoulos said.

” “[serially] Mitsotakis, who criticized the move as “irresponsible,” has finally accepted all political responsibility and submitted his resignation.

The announcement was made as the Greek prime minister presided over a meeting on the latest fires on Tuesday night.

“We try to improve every year, but the situation is only getting tougher,” he told ministers, according to a government official.

Tourists have been evacuated on the outskirts of Athens as serious forest fires are burning out of control on the outskirts of the Greek capital.

Travel to Greece is not officially banned, but tourists with trips booked to the capital should contact their travel agency for instructions.

Flights are currently operating normally at Athens airport, with smoke visible from planes taking off, writes travel correspondent Simon Calder.

The standard approach for arriving aircraft is to circle south of Athens, fly over the Saronic Gulf and land from the southwest to the northeast.

Departing aircraft are taking off normally over Petalioi Bay. There is no direct threat to the airport as the area is partially built up and there is little vegetation in the open areas.

Three flights arrived at Eleftherios Venizelos airport from London Heathrow early on Tuesday morning, with a further easyJet flight from London Gatwick, Ryanair from Luton and two Jet flights departing from Manchester.

Jet2 told passengers: “We are aware of wildfires burning in some parts of Athens and are closely monitoring the situation.”

“At this time, Athens airport is open and flights are expected to operate as scheduled. Please allow extra time for travel to the airport as road closures may occur.”

Firefighters continued battling small brush fires around Athens on Wednesday morning, with officials claiming the blazes are nearly contained.

Government inspectors are now assessing the damage and calculating the cost as residents return to their burnt-out homes.

Tourists are thronging the sweltering streets of Athens as temperatures continue to batter across the country. Much of Greece remains on elevated fire alert until Thursday, with temperatures expected to reach 40C.

Three days after the blazes first broke out, most of the fire front has subsided, but officials have warned against complacency.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined, but a blame game has already begun, with opposition parties and the media accusing the region of inadequate preparations.

Very high fire danger is forecast for the following areas tomorrow (danger category 4):

• Central Macedonia (including the Halkidiki Peninsula and Mount Athos).
• Eastern Macedonia and Thrace (including Thassos, Rhodope, Evros and Samothraki).
• North Aegean region (Lemnos region).

Wildfires in the past eight years have destroyed a third (37%) of all forest land outside Athens.

A deadly wildfire raged this week northeast of Athens, scorching 104 square kilometers (40 square miles), according to the European Union’s satellite mapping agency, destroying dozens of homes and prompting several countries to send aid.

The Copernicus Emergency Management Agency released the damage estimate on Wednesday, a day after wildfires were contained on the outskirts of the capital after extensive firefighting efforts.

The fire raged through the southern mountains, covering an area nearly twice the size of Manhattan and blanketing the Greek capital in thick smoke. One factory worker was killed in the blaze.

According to the latest estimates from the Athens National Observatory, 450 square kilometers (174 square miles) of forest in the Attica region, which includes Athens, have burned in the past eight years.

This represents 37 percent of the region’s total forest area.

The European Commission’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) mobilised emergency support to Greece in response to the wildfires.

Air and ground firefighting resources were deployed from several EU countries as part of a joint effort to help areas outside Athens.

The aid package includes an Italian firefighting plane, a French helicopter and a helicopter provided by Serbia.

Ground firefighters were also dispatched from the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Serbia and Romania.

Firefighters from Romania, Malta and Moldova who landed were among the first rescuers battling the deadly blaze.