After destroying hundreds of houses, businesses, and farms amid the country's worst heatwave in three decades, wildfires raged across some of Greece's last surviving woods for yet another day Saturday, creeping on more populated regions.
One of the major flames raged up the slopes of Mount Parnitha, a national park north of Athens that is home to one of the remaining significant woods close to the Greek capital. The fire spread stifling smoke over the capital region, prompting authorities to establish a hotline for those suffering from respiratory issues. Throughout the day, firefighters fought to keep frequent flare-ups under control.
Thousands of residents and vacationers have evacuated by land and water from places where flames erupted days earlier, as firemen and volunteers battled through the night.
After encroaching flames cut off alternative means of escape, boats evacuated 1,153 people from a seaside hamlet and beaches on Evia, an island of steep, wooded highlands popular with tourists and campers, amid apocalyptic scenes overnight and into Saturday morning. People held babies and assisted the elderly as they walked across a pebble beach to the little boats. The wooded hills were engulfed in towering flames and smoke behind them.
The magnitude of Greece's wildfires has been incredible, with over 100 raging throughout the nation in only a few days. Most were easily tamed, but a few quickly blazed out of control, destroying homes and wreaking havoc on the environment.
To the south, in the Peloponnese's Mani region, where one big fire occurred, a local official claimed that about 70% of her area had been burned. "We're talking about three-quarters of the municipality," East Mani Deputy Mayor Drakoulakou told state television ERT, begging for additional water-dropping planes.
Other local authorities and citizens in southern Greece, near Athens, and on the island of Evia made broadcast pleas for further firefighting assistance, notably air support. The Greek government requested assistance from the European Union's emergency support framework to supplement its limited resources.
Egypt announced on Saturday that it would send two helicopters to Greece, while 36 Czech firemen and 15 vehicles will arrive early Monday.
For the past ten days, fires considered as the deadliest in decades have raced through parts of neighboring Turkey's southern shore, killing eight people. Since July 28, 217 fires have been put out in almost half of Turkey's provinces, according to the top Turkish forestry official, although firefighters continued to battle six flames in two provinces on Saturday.
A volunteer fireman was murdered in a fire north of Athens in Greece on Friday. At least 20 individuals have been hurt in fires throughout the country. Firefighters battled 154 wildfires this week, with 64 still blazing into the night, according to Greek Civil Protection head Nikos Hardalias, who stated on Friday evening that they faced "exceptionally dangerous, unprecedented conditions."
"We have been confronting a scenario in our nation without precedent in terms of the severity and vast dispersion of wildfires, as well as fresh outbreaks all throughout (Greece)," he added. "I want to reassure you that all available forces are participating in the fight."
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