Extreme wildfire warnings issued for parts of Greece including Athens
22.08.2023 - 11:27
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Authorities have issued an extreme wildfire warning for parts of Greece after eight villages were evacuated on Tuesday (August 22).
Despite firefighters' efforts to push back the flames tumbling through forests near a port city in north-eastern Greece, gale-force winds and high summer temperatures have made it difficult. Now, the fire risk level for several regions including Athens was listed as 'extreme' for a second day.
Members of the public have been banned from accessing mountains and forests in the region while military patrols have also been issued. It comes after two people died and two firefighters were injured in northern and central Greece on Monday.
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Meanwhile, a school and several homes and a cemetery were damaged in two villages across Alexandroupolis which saw more than 200 firefighters attempt to tackle the flames. In the Kavala region, dozens of houses were damaged, according to local authorities, as the flames spread through a forest in a protected national park.
The coast guard evacuated 14 people by sea overnight from a nearby coastal area to the port of Alexandroupolis. A new fire also broke out in the Aspropyrgos area on the western fringes of Athens on Tuesday morning, which resulted in authorities evacuating two villages.
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Greece experiences severe wildfires every summer, with the deadliest resulting 104 deaths in 2018 at a seaside resort near Athens after residents were not warned to evacuate. Since then, authorities have been more cautious and have frequently issued mass evacuation areas in any area that could be under