A major and at times out-of-control wildfire front extending several kilometers along mountainous terrain threatened several north Athens districts in the Mt. Penteli vicinity before dawn on Monday, with authorities issuing directions – via cell phone SMS – for evacuations.
The wildfire front was burning forestland, shrubs and other mixed greenspace areas along a front extending from Mt. Dionysos to Mt. Penteli, with the latter overlooking the greater Athens area from the north.
Currently, there are three main fronts: in the town of Grammatiko in the Marathon municipality, Mt. Penteli, and the east Attica town of Nea Makri. Currently, the front in Grammatiko is actively threatening houses, flaming at a distance of 500 meters.
The gale-force winds rendered the fires extremely dangerous and unpredictable, changing direction by the minute.
Thick smoke, which has reached as far as the southwest Peloponnese, made it very difficult for aircraft to perform targeted water drops, while the terrain is often inaccessible.
Evacuations have been ordered both in surrounding residential areas as well as of the Holy Monastery of Penteli and the St. Ephraim Monastery.
Τhe conflagration in northeast Attica prefecture (greater Athens area) erupted instantaneously amid gusty winds near the township of Varnavas (extreme northeast Attica prefecture), before spreading south on the back of strong winds. Unconfirmed reports had other fires springing up throughout the night in rapid succession around both peaks: Dionysos and Penteli, both areas repeatedly burned in the past by similar blazes.
Residents fled their homes as a wildfire outside Athens burned trees, houses and cars and sent smoke clouds over the Greek capital https://t.co/zZ9WLL7PEN pic.twitter.com/zM19HG4s3D
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 11, 2024
