Lower winds give hope to firefighters battling massive wildfires on Athens outskirts. One person killed

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A large wildfire has broken out across Greece. Northern suburbs of Athens Heavy rains on Monday killed at least one person and prompted multiple evacuations as swirling winds hampered the efforts of hundreds of firefighters and dozens of water-dropping aircraft.

The fire department said shortly after midnight that firefighters found a body in a burning building in the suburb of Vrilissia, but could not immediately provide further details.

The fire broke out on Sunday near Lake Marathon, about 35 kilometres (22 miles) northeast of Athens, and spread across Mount Pendeli and into the northern suburbs of the capital. Several homes and businesses were burned on the outskirts of the city and in communities near the lake.

Greece declared a state of maximum alert, but by late Monday night, a decrease in winds gave hope, and officials reported progress against the fast-moving wildfire that had spread flames more than 25 meters (80 feet) high.

Firefighters are no longer battling one front but “several active local fires,” mostly around Marathon and Pendeli, said fire department spokesman Colonel Vasileios Vathrakogiannis.

The Marathon area was the site of a famous battle between the Greeks and Persians in 490 BC, and includes a museum and an archaeological site, but there were no immediate reports of damage from the fire at either.

Greek firefighters are due to be reinforced by forces from other countries from Tuesday, after Athens requested international assistance, triggering Europe’s mutual civil protection mechanism.

A cloud of smoke and ash covered central Athens, while power was cut off in parts of the Greek capital and traffic lights were affected at major central intersections.

At least 18 people were injured, mostly from smoke inhalation, as the fire reached remote parts of a suburb, authorities said. Greece’s National Observatory said late Monday that satellite images showed the fire had affected about 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres).

Officials said France would provide a helicopter and 200 firefighters with 28 fire trucks, Italy two water-dropping planes and the Czech Republic 75 firefighters and 25 vehicles, while Serbia and Romania were also preparing to provide aid. Neighboring Turkey’s foreign ministry said it would send two firefighting planes and a helicopter, while Spain was also finalizing reinforcements to send to Greece.

The fire spread through the pine forests that had become dry due to Heat waves are frequent this summer.June and July were the hottest months on record in Greece, which also recorded its warmest winter on record. The early start of the fire season this year has strained Greece’s firefighting forces.

“Firefighters have been working at full capacity for months and they are exhausted,” said Nikos Lavranos, head of Greece’s main firefighters’ union.

“The fire was very serious, we have been fighting it for more than 20 hours in dramatic conditions,” Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said earlier on Monday, adding that some of the burning areas on Mount Pendeli were particularly difficult to access.

Three hospitals, including a children’s hospital, two monasteries and a children’s home were evacuated Monday afternoon. Cell phones in the area received at least 30 alerts warning people to flee.

“The wind was blowing one way and then the other. The smoke was suffocating. You couldn’t see. Your eyes were watering. You couldn’t breathe,” said Spiros Gorilas, a resident of Dioni, who poured water on his house to save it from the flames.

“Even the helicopter that dropped the water couldn’t see it, they just heard its sound,” he added.

More than 700 firefighters, supported by 27 special firefighting teams and members of the armed forces, participated in fighting the fire, using 190 vehicles, 17 water-dropping aircraft and 16 helicopters.

Three hospitals in Athens were on high alert, while paramedics and ambulances treated five firefighters for minor burns and breathing problems, and at least 13 civilians. The Athens Doctors Association warned the chronically ill, the elderly, pregnant women, children and those with respiratory and heart problems to be extra vigilant.

The Greek coast guard has diverted all ferries from a nearby port serving several Aegean islands to another port. Gyms and hotels have been turned into evacuation centers.

Police said 380 officers assisted in the evacuations, helping move more than 250 people out of the path of the flames. A video posted on social media showed officers carrying elderly people from their homes to waiting cars against a backdrop of a red night sky.

Some people who refused to leave their homes later became trapped and needed to be rescued, putting the lives of firefighters at risk, authorities said. The affected areas — at the earliest, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the heart of Athens, home to the famous Acropolis and other archaeological sites — typically have thousands of residents.

However, it was not clear how many people were on vacation at the height of the summer season, and how many complied with evacuation orders or stayed behind to fight the fire.

Meteorologists have warned of an increased risk of wildfires due to weather conditions from Sunday to Thursday. Dozens of other fires broke out in several parts of Greece on Monday.

Wildfires are common in the Mediterranean country during the hot, dry summers, but authorities say climate change is fueling bigger and more frequent blazes.

In 2018, A massive fire broke out in the coastal town of Mati.The fires have trapped people in their homes and on the roads as they try to escape in their cars. More than 100 people have died, including some who drowned while trying to swim to escape the flames.

Last year, forest fires in Greece killed more than 20 people, including 18 migrants trapped in fire While they were hiking through the forest in northeastern Greece, they were struck by a massive fire that had been raging for more than two weeks.

Forest fires also hit neighboring North Macedonia and Albania on Monday, which have experienced high summer temperatures and strong winds.

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Associated Press journalists Lefteris Pitarakis in Dioni, Greece, Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Greece, and Elise Morton in London contributed to this report.