After the most devastating forest fire this year in Greece, the landscape contrasts with what it was just a few hours ago. Thick rows of trees have been replaced by jutting stumps and smoldering ground. In Chalandri, a village on a hill above Athens, a family returns to find their house charred, the sheets they left to dry now blackened. The teenage son is inconsolable.
The first victim of the fire was discovered in the office of a local event company. The woman, who had worked there for two decades, had taken refuge in the bathroom when the fire swept through the village. The grounds outside are full of charred roses, destined for summer weddings and christenings.
The wildfire, which started over the weekend, has ravaged more than 156 square miles of forest in the Attica region and reached the suburbs of Athens. Thousands of residents were evacuated. “At some point, the fire was faster than the cars,” said Vasilis Xypolitas, mayor of the municipality of Kifisia, outside Athens.
Forest fires occur annually in Greece, but none have come so close to Athens, a city of more than 3 million people. The villagers were surprised by the speed with which the fire spread. A resident described how the fire, which started more than 40 kilometers away, reached the village in a short time, leaving her car and many others reduced to blistered metal casings.
Emergency crews worked tirelessly to put out the fire, which started near the town of Varnavas. More than 700 firefighters, nearly 200 vehicles and 35 water-bombing planes were deployed. The wind, which had been blowing up to 40 kilometers per hour over the weekend, died down on Tuesday, greatly aiding firefighting efforts. However, winds are expected to pick up again on Thursday.
When the wind and fire subsided, residents returned to assess the damage. Sophia, a resident whose house was mostly spared but whose awnings were burned, lamented: “This was our land. This was our air and our breath. And it's completely gone “.
Climate scientists attribute the increasing intensity and frequency of wildfires to unusually warm and dry weather related to global warming. Greece has already battled dozens of fires this summer after experiencing the hottest June and July on record. Mayor Xypolitas warns that “next year we will have many incidents like this and we will have to find solutions in the way to evacuate”. The government is offering emergency accommodation to those affected, but only for two nights, leaving many to fend for themselves afterwards.
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