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In the vicinity of the Greek capital Athens two wildfires became uncontrollable. Up to 100 homes were burned. The flames led people to flee and colored the sky over orange Athens with their smoke.
The first fire broke out in a pine forest near Kineta, a village about 50 kilometers west of Athens. At least 150 firefighters were on duty and were supported by five fire trucks and seven air helicopters. The strong wind from the changes of direction made the work of extinction more difficult.
The second fire raged since Monday afternoon in the Penteli area northeast of Athens. Authorities evacuated several children's camps by burning dozens of homes and cars. 50 firefighters were on duty, including three planes and a helicopter were involved.
On a beach, bathers were trapped by fire and had to be rescued by boat. The Civil Defense announced that Greece would ask for help to the EU in the fight against fires.
The Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras expressed his concern: "My thoughts are with the people and the forces," he told the Greek TV channel ERT. He expressed the suspicion that the arsonists might be behind the fires.
Tsipras ordered that the fire departments of other regions and the military rush to Athens to help, reported state radio. Mayors from the affected areas told local reporters that more than 100 homes were destroyed or damaged in east Athens alone. At first, there was no information about the injured people.
Another fire broke out on the island of Crete. The fire department said that farmland and forests were in flames. Two helicopters supported the work of the emergency services.
Firefighters, volunteers and the military tried to control the flames with planes and dozens of emergency vehicles, which initially failed, as was the case. reported state television. The pilots could hardly see anything because of the smoke, it was said. At the present time, temperatures in Greece are about 40 degrees. In addition, wind gusts of magnitude 7 are blowing in the affected area.
"The worst case scenario has arrived," Giannis Kapakis, head of the Greek Civil Defense Department, said on television. Many residents fled in panic, reporters reported on the scene of the fire. Electricity, telephone and internet dropped in some areas. The television reporters showed several houses burned.
Due to the strong formation of smoke, the highway and the rail link between Athens and Corinth were closed, announced the traffic police. "It will be a long night," said a firefighter on television. Especially after sunset, no firefighting aircraft and no helicopters can be used.
During the hot, dry summer months, forest fires
Greece is not uncommon. In 2007, the most violent took place
Forest fires for a long time. Large parts of southern Greece were burning.
More than 60 people were killed.
Fire in Sweden and Latvia
Large fires have also raged in Northern Europe. In Sweden, the authorities have not made clear many forest fires. The continuously hot and extremely dry weather has made it difficult to fight dozens of fires. Britta Ramberg of the Civil Defense Agency said the risk of new fires is now particularly high in the south of the country. Until now, fires have raged mainly in central and in western Sweden, also in the north has emerged several.
Sweden has received support from other European countries in the fight against fire. Several French soldiers arrived Monday morning. France, Italy and Norway have sent planes to fight the fire. Poland provided 139 firefighters and 44 firefighters. Germany, Lithuania and Portugal also offered their help.
Rescuers lost control of a peat and forest fire in northwestern Latvia . According to Copernicus, the European Earth Observation Program, more than 1,000 hectares of forest, garrigue and peatland have been destroyed. A small village was evacuated as a precaution.
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