Greece fires: One dead, thousands evacuated as flames spread through Athens suburbs

As wildfires rage through mainland Greece, prospective travellers may be worried about how this will impact their holiday plans.

A spokesperson for Jet2 told The Independent: “Our flight schedule to and from Athens is currently operating as normal however we continue to closely monitor the situation and the advice of the relevant authorities. The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority.”

Ryanair confirmed it is operating as usual and will follow guidance from local authorities.

The Independent has reached out to British Airways and EasyJet for comment.

Greece’s coast guard ordered all ferries going to and from the nearby port of Rafina, which serves mainly the Cycladic islands and Crete, to be diverted to the port of Lavrion due to the fire.

Meteorologists and government officials have warned of the heightened danger of wildfires because of weather conditions from Sunday until Thursday, with half of the country placed under a “red alert” for wildfire hazard.

Greece’s worst wildfire this year continued to spread into the Athens suburbs on Monday evening after first igniting on Sunday afternoon, forcing hundreds of people to flee homes and hospitals.

Tourists on the hills around the Acropolis watched as smoke spread over the busy city.

A warning has been issued to anyone near affected areas to exercise caution when leaving the house due to the density of the smoke. Power cuts were reported in several parts of the capital, now thick with the smell of burning.

The fire was burning in a wide arc on the capital’s northeastern fringes, sending a blanket of smoke over central Athens on Sunday. There has been no disruption reported at Athens airports where those landing and taking off could see a wall of smoke darkening the sky on Monday morning.

Rich Booth reports from Athens.

High temperatures of up to 40 Celsius are expected to persist at least until Thursday, placing Greece on high fire alert.

A drop in winds on Monday offered hope and officials reported progress against the massive, fast-moving blaze that spawned flames over 25 meters (80 feet) high.

However, strong winds are also expected to continue, increasing risks of fires getting exacerbated.

Fire Department spokesperson colonel Vassileios Vathrakogiannis said firefighters were no longer battling a single front but “many active localised blazes,” mostly around Marathon and Pendeli.

Greece went on high alert by late night on Monday as the blaze that started Sunday near Lake Marathon, about 35 kilometres (22 miles) northeast of Athens, coursed across Mount Pendeli and reached the capital’s northern suburbs. It burnt several homes and businesses in the city suburbs and in communities near the lake.

Local residents are fearful for their safety and homes as a major forest fire continues to rage on the northern fringes of Athens in Greece.

The fire triggered numerous evacuation orders for Athens suburbs and outlying areas on Monday as strong winds hampered the efforts of hundreds of firefighters and dozens of water-dropping planes.

Resident Spyros Gorilas said: “The wind would go in one direction and then in the other. The smoke was suffocating. You couldn’t see. Your eyes teared up. You couldn’t breathe. You couldn’t see the house.”

One person has died as wildfires spread in the suburbs of Athens in Greece on Monday.

The fire department said shortly after midnight they found a body in a burnt building in the suburb of Vrilissia, but were unable to immediately provide further details.

A source from the fire service told the BBC that the body was believed to be of a woman.

Climate change is projected to make wildfires more frequent and intense, with a global increase of extreme fires of up to 14 per cent by 2030, according to a UN report.

Intense, long-lasting heat draws moisture out of the ground and vegetation.

Once ignited – whether by natural or human triggers – these tinder-dry conditions provide fuel for fires to spread at an incredible speed, aided by very strong winds.

The way that humans use land is also important in affecting how wildfires spread.

Wildfires and climate change are mutually exacerbating. Wildfires are made worse by climate change through increased drought, high air temperatures, low relative humidity, lightning, and strong winds resulting in hotter, drier, and longer fire seasons.

At the same time, climate change is made worse by wildfires, mostly by ravaging sensitive and carbon-rich ecosystems like peatlands and rainforests. This turns landscapes into tinderboxes, making it harder to halt rising temperatures.