Two dead and hundreds evacuated as wildfires break out near Athens


Two people died and and hundreds were evacuated after two fires broke out “almost simultaneously” on a Greek island near Athens, fire officials said.

About 200 firefighters were working to keep the twin fires from converging on the island of Salamina, which was under a high wildfire risk on Sunday.

The first blaze was reported at 14:40 local time (11:40 GMT) near the island’s south coast and spread rapidly due to high winds, followed by the second some 20 minutes later in the east.

More than 360 people have so far been evacuated by sea, Greek media report.

Five patrol boats have been sent to the area and several other private vessels are being made available for assistance, he added. A number of aircraft and 50 fire engines have also been deployed.

The first fire broke out in a mixed residential and forested area in Peristeria, a southern city on the island, chief fire officer Vasilios Vathrakoyannis said in a statement, followed by the second in the eastern town of Selinia.

Firefighters attending the first blaze found two bodies at the scene, he said.

At least four people have been taken to a local health centre with burns.

Salamina Deputy Mayor Thodoris Zannis said firefighters were trying to keep the fires from burning over a mountain on the island and meeting to form a single blaze.



Source link

  • Related Posts

    Suspect in Virginia State University shooting found hiding in dorm closet | Virginia

    A young man suspected in connection with the shooting of five people on Saturday on the campus of Virginia State University (VSU) hid in a dormitory closet for more than…

    Secondhand book sales are booming. Is it because of AI?

    The court documents relating to the Anthropic case revealed the project of ingesting old books was referred to in internal company communications as “Project Panama.” The documents indicated the company’s…

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    Georgina Rodríguez and Cristiano Ronaldo’s First Outing as Newlyweds

    Georgina Rodríguez and Cristiano Ronaldo’s First Outing as Newlyweds

    Suspect in Virginia State University shooting found hiding in dorm closet | Virginia

    Suspect in Virginia State University shooting found hiding in dorm closet | Virginia

    Iran offering $30K reward for killing or capturing U.S. soldiers

    Fantasy football rankings 2026: Sleepers from computer that nailed De’Von Achane’s outstanding year

    Fantasy football rankings 2026: Sleepers from computer that nailed De’Von Achane’s outstanding year

    Canada Gazette – Part I, May 21, 2022, Vol. 156, No. 21

    Montreal police confirm use of licence-plate camera in targeted investigation – Montreal

    Montreal police confirm use of licence-plate camera in targeted investigation – Montreal