Greece orders evacuations in Athens as authorities struggle to contain wildfires
FirstpostGreece has ordered evacuations in Athens as the Greek authorities struggle to curb the fire. The wildfires started on Sunday morning near the town of Varnavas, which is located in the north of Athens Smoke from wildfires is seen above the Greek parliament building in central Athens, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024, after a blaze northeast of the capital forced evacuations in the area. The Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister, Vassilis Kikilias said that the emergency crews have been tackling “an extremely dangerous fire” for more than 20 hours, under “dramatic conditions”, CNN reported. Authorities warn of dangerous conditions as they struggle to control the fire Fire authorities on Monday warned that the wildfire has “developed rapidly” and is now heading towards Penteli, around 16 kilometres northeast of Athens. The wildfires that erupted in summers last year, also spread across the heavily-forested national park, known as the “lungs of Athens.” While wildfires are common in Greek summers, climate experts say that the unusually hot and dry weather linked to global warming makes the blazes fiercer and harder to extinguish.