Fire rages in forest area near Athens

[Yannis Liakos/Intime News]

Dozens of firefighters were battling Saturday to prevent a wildfire from spreading to a nature reserve in a mountainous forest area on the outskirts of the Greek capital, firefighters said.

About 80 firefighters assisted by 12 water-carrying aircraft were trying to control the blaze on Mount Parnis, about 20 km north of Athens, which was fuelled by strong winds.

“Considerable forces on the ground are waging a fierce fight,” fire spokesman Vasilis Vathrakogiannis told a televised press briefing. Wind gusts exceeding 100 km/h hampered their efforts, he added.

Another 100 firefighters stationed elsewhere in the country are expected to join those already working at the scene, Vathrakogiannis added.

A thick cloud of smoke was visible in the sky over Athens, a city surrounded by mountains, but a local official said no homes were threatened by the fire.

“The situation is stable so far,” Costas Zobos, deputy governor of part of Athens, told state television.

With hot and windy conditions across much of the country, about 40 landscape fires have broken out since early Saturday morning and authorities have advised people to stay out of forested areas.

The winds are not expected to ease until Sunday, forecasters said.

Wildfires are common in the Mediterranean country, but they have become more devastating in recent years as summers have become hotter, drier and windier, which scientists attribute to the effects of climate change.

After last summer's deadly forest fires and following the hottest winter on record, Greece has developed a new doctrine, which includes deploying an additional fire truck to each new fire, accelerating air support and forest clearing.

A large part of the Mont Parnès nature reserve, rich in pines and fir trees, was destroyed by a large fire in 2007.

[Reuters]