Athens suburbs on fire as Greece calls on EU for help

PENTELI: A massive wildfire blazed its way into Athens' northeastern suburbs on Monday as hundreds of firefighters battled to contain it, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes and sparking a Greek government appeal for international help.

In scenes never before seen in the Greek capital, residents wearing masks against the choking smoke were desperately dousing their homes with water hoses in the leafy suburbs of Nea Penteli and Vrilissia in an effort to render them less vulnerable to fire.

"The situation is dramatic," Penteli mayor Natassa Kosmopoulou told news portal newsit.gr.

Greece on Monday formally called for EU assistance, a spokesman said.

"The EU civil protection mechanism was activated upon request of the Greek authorities," EU spokesman Balazs Ujvari said in a statement, adding that Italy, France, the Czech Republic and Romania were sending units to help.

Strong winds

The wildfire started on Sunday afternoon in the town of Varnavas, some 35km (22 miles) northeast of Athens.

Aided by strong winds, it grew to a 30km long frontline of fires, more than 25m (80 feet) high in places, according to state TV ERT.

Several large Athens municipalities ordered partial evacuations, including Penteli, Vrilissia and Halandri.

"Because of the direction of the wind we have decided on a precautionary evacuation," Halandri mayor Simos Roussos told ERT. "The fire is very close."

Authorities opened the Olympic stadium in northern Athens and other stadiums to house thousands of people evacuated from the path of the blaze. Three major hospitals have been placed on standby.

"We are facing a biblical catastrophe," said Marathon's mayor Stergios Tsirkas. "Our whole town is engulfed in flames," he told the Skai television channel.

"Civil protection forces battled hard throughout the night, but despite superhuman efforts, the fire evolved rapidly," Vathrakogiannis said.

The wind had rekindled the fire in 40 different locations on Monday, he said.

The summer wildfire season in Greece this year has seen dozens of daily blazes after the Mediterranean country recorded its warmest winter and the hottest June and July since reliable data collection began in 1960.

Temperatures around Athens were forecast to peak at 39°C (102°F) on Monday, with wind gusts of up to 50km (31 miles) per hour.

Engulfed in flames

"Forest fire near you. Follow the instructions of the authorities," said SMS messages sent to people in the Attica region, indicating in which direction to flee.

Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias issued a warning on Saturday that half the country faced a high risk of fires due to high temperatures, strong winds and drought conditions.

"We're working 24-hour shifts, all of us," said fireman Marinos Peristeropoulos.

"The fire spread very quickly because of the strong wind," he told AFP near one of the hot-spots in Grammatiko.

Scientists say that human-induced fossil fuel emissions are worsening the length, frequency and intensity of heatwaves across the world.