In Greece, Athens is surrounded by fire, and the historic city of Marathon is evacuated – Editing

The fires that have been ravaging the country for three weeks are now engulfing the Greek capital, giving it a grim tinge. Emergency services are expecting very difficult days ahead. Authorities ordered the evacuation of the town of Marathon, about 40 kilometres from Athens, on Sunday evening.

A few kilometers south of Athens, the bright blue sky of this sunny Sunday, August 11, is gradually covered in a black veil. Then the first images appear on social networks: images of the Greek capital turning a deep orange, even brown, by the end of the day. The subject of discussion: two fires surrounding the Greek city. The smoke from them has traveled more than 100 kilometers in a few hours, carried by a violent north-easterly wind – between 6 and 8 Beaufort, on a scale of 13. Greece is on fire again, and Athens is at the heart of the disaster.

The authorities had warned of the danger this weekend and also on Monday, August 12. In fact, hundreds of fires have broken out in Greece in the past three weeks, such as in the area of ​​Patras, in the Peloponnese, in Rethymno, on the island of Crete, or even in the mountains around Serres, in the north of the country. Climate change is an important element in understanding these fires: Greece has just recorded its hottest months, June and July, in its history, after an already historically warm winter. In short, heat waves and droughts are part of everyday life and have serious consequences.

Army as reinforcement

Now fires are also raging in the Attica region, surrounding Athens. The fire broke out in the municipality of Megara, southwest of the capital. “The situation is a little better, and we are getting it under control.” Confirms to Launches Fire Department spokesman. On the other hand, on the northeastern front, in Varnava, “No chance of controlling the fire” He sighs. He also noted that 250 men were deployed to the scene, along with 67 vehicles, 12 planes and 7 helicopters, and that they had received reinforcements from soldiers. At the same time, residents around the two sources of the fire received warning messages asking them to evacuate the building. However, according to the public television channel ERT, some preferred to stay put to protect their homes and animals.

Despite the battle of the firefighters, the fire destroyed the houses. Several people were taken to the hospital due to smoke and ash inhalation. The fire is particularly violent. The height of the flames exceeds 25 meters. In addition, it is difficult to control due to the strong winds that often change direction. However, according to the weather forecast, the winds are expected to continue blowing strongly throughout the night. “We expect a very difficult week.” For him, said Kostas Lagouvardos, director of research at the Athens Observatory, “If the Varnava fire is not controlled overnight, we will have a problem tomorrow.”

Fears are growing as the fire approaches Lake Marathon, an artificial reservoir created by a dam built in 1929 and one of the city's main water reserves. In the evening, authorities ordered the evacuation of the town of Marathon, 40 kilometres from Athens.

to update 10:15 p.m., Marathon town evacuated.