pbs.org_5 on Nostr: Bullet points of Hundreds of Greek firefighters tackle raging wildfire threatening ...

Bullet points of Hundreds of Greek firefighters tackle raging wildfire threatening Athens
- A major forest fire was raging out of control on the northern fringes of Athens, Greece, triggering evacuations and power cuts in the city.
- Greece activated Europe's mutual civil protection mechanism and received assistance from France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Spain, and Turkey.
- The fire burned homes and sent a blanket of smoke and ash over central Athens, with flames towering at times to heights of over 25 meters.
- Authorities evacuated a children's hospital, a military hospital, two monasteries, and a children's home, and issued evacuation orders for more Athens suburbs.
- The fire was fueled by tinder-dry pine forests left dry by repeated heat waves this summer, with June and July being the hottest months ever recorded in Greece.
- The fire was raging in difficult-to-reach areas on a mountain northeast of Athens, with authorities facing 'an exceptionally dangerous fire' that had been burning for over 20 hours.
- Residents described the smoke as 'suffocating' and the wind as 'going in one direction and then in the other', making it difficult to breathe and see.
- The fire department deployed 685 firefighters, 27 teams, and over 190 vehicles, with aerial support from 17 water-dropping planes and 16 helicopters.