Two fire brigade vehicles operating west of the Neos Voutsa township to the east of Athens proper were burned on Monday afternoon, as hundreds of fire-fighters, municipal crews and volunteers attempted to contain a veritable semi-circle of wildfires raging north and northeast of the Greek capital.
One fire-fighter inside one of the two vehicle was slightly injured, while another three were unaffected.
The three-prong front was most intense on the slopes of Mt. Penteli on Monday afternoon, reaching as far south as the leafy northern Athens district of Vrilissia, while flames briefly entered the perimeter of the Athens Observatory below Mt. Penteli, located on Koufou Hill, before being contained.
An undetermined number of residences and some businesses were severely damaged or completely burned, media reports stated. One primary school in the Nea Penteli district sustained significant damage.
Local and international media referred to the lightning speed of the wildfire front, which erupted in the extreme northeast part of Attica prefecture, near the small town of Varnava, on Sunday afternoon. Gusty winds subsequently fanned the flames throughout the night.
The emergency 112 notification service has issued 30 cell phone message for residents in the greater Athens area in a 24-hour period.
Finally, all outside work has been prohibited for Tuesday in northeast Attica prefecture.
Assistance from Europe
Meanwhile, four European countries so far have announced their intent to send assistance to Greece via EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), namely, the Czech Republic, France, Italy and Romania, according to European Commission spokesman for issues related to crisis management, Balazs Ujvari.
Greece activated the UCPM mechanism on Sunday afternoon.
According to reports, a French Super Puma helicopter able to drop water is expected in the Athens area late Monday night or overnight on Tuesday.
Italy will send two fire-fighting aircraft (Canadairs); the Czech Republic is sending 75 fire-fighters and 25 fire engines, of which nine are water tankers, due to arrive on Tuesday, while Romania is dispatching a unit of fire-fighters.
An offer for assistance by Spain and Turkey is also on the table for consideration.
von der Leyen on X: We Stand With Greece
In a related development, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expressed the EU’s solidarity for Greece on Monday, in the wake of the destructive Athens-area wildfires.
In a post on ‘X’, von der Leyen stated, “We stand with Greece as it battles devastating fires. The EU is sending support from its rescEU fleet: two planes from Italy and a helicopter from France. Firefighting teams from Czechia and Romania are also being deployed. This is EU solidarity in action.”
In a separate post on ‘X, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, in charge of European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Janez Lenarcic also noted that the EU “is mobilising 2 planes from the rescEU fleet from Italy, one rescEU helicopter from France and ground firefighting teams from Romania and Czechia.”
We stand with Greece as it battles devastating fires.
The EU is sending support from its #rescEU fleet: two planes from Italy and a helicopter from France.
Firefighting teams from Czechia and Romania are also being deployed.
This is #EUSolidarity in action.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 12, 2024
