Greece has been devastated by several wildfires, with thick smoke and haze blanketing parts of the capital Athens , as warnings mount about extreme weather conditions that are expected to continue for the rest of the week. Greek authorities ordered the evacuation of the historic town of Marathon, near Athens, which has more than 7,000 inhabitants, last night, and all the towns on the northeastern outskirts of the capital were added overnight, threatened by a raging blaze. "Forest fire near you. Follow the instructions of the authorities," civil protection wrote in text messages sent to anyone in the affected region, with directions to evacuate.

At least five new localities were evacuated in the early morning as well as two hospitals, one pediatric and the other military, in Penteli, about fifteen kilometers northeast of the capital . Greek authorities opened the OAKA Olympic stadium in northern Athens to accommodate the thousands of displaced people.

“All civil defense forces have been fighting a battle all night and despite superhuman efforts, the fire continues to spread very rapidly and is heading towards Penteli,” explained Vassilis Vathrakogiannis, spokesman for the fire brigade. A total of 510 firefighters and 152 vehicles have been deployed, and 29 planes have been flying over the area since dawn, he added.

By Sunday afternoon, firefighters had managed to put out 33 of the 40 fires that had broken out in the previous 24 hours. Greece’s civil protection minister warned on Saturday that half the country was at high risk of fires until at least August 15 due to high temperatures, strong winds and drought. “Unfortunately, the intensity of the winds will continue to be significant in the coming hours and it is absolutely necessary for citizens in the surrounding area to follow the instructions given by the authorities,” Vathrakogiannis insisted.

Greece is exceptionally vulnerable to summer fires, especially after a particularly dry winter. June and July were the hottest since records began in 1960. According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, rising temperatures are leading to a longer fire season and more area burned by flames around the world.

(Unioneonline/D)

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