More fire deaths in Greater Athens | TIME ONLINE

The number of fire victims in the metropolitan area Athens has steadily increased. According to the fire department, 74 people died. Previously, the authorities had spoken of at least 50 dead.
Rafina Mayor Evangelos Bournous told Skai TV that rescue teams were going from house to house looking for victims. According to his estimates, the flames destroyed 1,200 houses.

The area around the town of Rafina is particularly affected by fires. There is also the small resort Mati, which is particularly popular with Greek tourists. Many children spend summer there in summer camps.

The fires were out of control Monday afternoon and had passed through Mati. High flames and dense smoke were blocking many people towards the sea. Hundreds fled there to be taken care of by the Coast Guard and the boats of passage. One of the rescuers saw 26 people hanging in a field about 30 meters from the beach, said the head of the Red Cross in Greece, Nikos Economopoulos, Skai TV. "They had tried to find an escape route, but unfortunately, these people and their children did not do it in time."

Flames still not under control

On Tuesday morning, white smoke was still rising in Mati, and burned vehicles stood in front of three to four story buildings damaged by fire. The fire department warned that the flames are still not completely under control, even though they are spreading slowly, thanks to the decreasing winds. The region, which was also popular with foreigners, declared the state of emergency.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras ordered national mourning for three days. People should not be overwhelmed by the pain, "because these hours are hours of struggle, unity, courage and above all solidarity," said Tsipras.

The Greek authorities have sought the help of other countries of the European Union because of the situation. Cyprus, Spain and Bulgaria offered their support. Italy has provided two firefighters, tweeted Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. Wednesday morning, a third firefighting plane from Romania is expected
The Minister of Public Order, Nikos Toskas, announced later
Evening with. Never Greece has had so many offers of help in the struggle
to set fire, he added, praising the solidarity of
useful countries. The responsible European Commissioner Christos Stylianides wanted to go to Athens. He will coordinate the EU's help already on the way, he said. He is in permanent contact with Greek Prime Minister Tsipras.

The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, tweeted that the EU "will spare no effort to help Greece and the Greek people". The civil defense mechanism has been activated to help Greece when needed.

Turkey also offered help: planes and helicopters were ready, said Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu during a visit to northern Cyprus. His Greek colleague Nikos Kotzias thanked him for the offer but said that no support was needed at the present time.

Fires also obstruct traffic

The first fire broke out in a pine forest near Kineta. 50 kilometers west of Athens. The cause of the fire is not yet known. In other parts of the country, fires broke out, some of them being out of control. Hundreds of houses and cars were destroyed. Important road links such as Monday the Athens-Corinth highway, which leads to the Peloponnese, have been temporarily closed. The train service has been partially interrupted.

More than 3,000 firefighters, five planes and two helicopters are used against the flames. Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said that 15 fires had broken out on three different fronts in the Attica region at the same time.

Clouds of smoke passed over Athens. The risk of fire is currently particularly high after the relatively dry winter. However, several officials also said that many fires broke out at the same time. It's strange and should be studied. An unmanned drone from the United States should be used to monitor suspicious incidents.