It was like the ‘eruption at Pompeii’
Greek wildfires engulf people in last embrace
RAFINA, GREECE •The26 bodies were found huddled together, in a last embrace. The group, many of them children, had been driven to the sea in an attempt to escape the Greek wildfire, only to be engulfed metres from the shore.
“We assume they became trapped by the fire because it was so strong and so fast,” Haris Malimagolou, of the Hellenic Red Cross, told The Daily Telegraph in the resort of Mati.
“Some were huddled together as if trying to protect each other. They were badly burned and have not been identified.”
The official toll from the “biblical disaster” stood at 74 Tuesday night, but was expected to rise. Survivors described their efforts to escape, amid mounting anger at the lack of resources to tackle the blaze and to warn locals and vacationers.
Paulina Corvisier, 25, from France, on holiday in a villa in central Mati, fought back tears as she displayed cuts and bruises sustained while scrambling over rocks to escape.
She said: “We ran to the beach. We were all crowded on to the sand and rocks. Then all the trees surrounding the beach burst into flames. I jumped in the water because I didn’t know what else to do. Ash was falling on me from the sky while I was in the water.”
She questioned the lack of official help for the victims of what was being seen as a wildfire more deadly than one in 2007 that killed 77 people.
“We were not informed and were not evacuated,” she said. “There was a big lack of communication.”
Kostas Laganos, another survivor, said: “We went into the sea because the flames were chasing us all the way to the water. It burned our backs.
“It reminded me of the eruption at Pompeii. It was terrible,” he said.
“It happened very fast. The fire was in the distance, then sparks from the fire reached us. Then the fire was all around us,” said Nikos Stavrinidis. “The wind was indescribable — it was incredible. I’ve never seen anything like this before in my life.”
And so he and his friends ran, making their way toward the beach, but even that wasn’t safe.
“We ran to the sea. We had to swim out because of the smoke, but we couldn’t see where anything was,” he said.
The current was strong and the smoke blinding, and the friends fought to stay afloat.
“We fell into the sea and tried to distance ourselves, to get away from the monoxide. We went as far in as we could,” he said. “But as we went further, there was a lot of wind and a lot of current and it started taking us away from the coast. We were not able to see where we were.
“It is terrible to see the person next to you drowning and not being able to help him,” Stavrinidis said, his voice breaking.
The survivors were picked up by a fishing boat with an Egyptian crew who jumped into the water to rescue them.
The fires, which hit four separate areas of Greece, began on Monday morning in Corinth. But by far the worst hit was Mati, a small town in the eastern region of Rafina, popular with young Greek families and pensioners.
Hundreds of people were rescued by boat after roads became blocked by the fire and by burning cars. Several bodies were recovered and more than 700 people were taken to the port of Rafina.
“Mati no longer exists,” said Evangelos Bournous, the mayor of Rafina. More than 1,000 buildings and 300 cars were damaged, the village turned into a smouldering wreck.
Greek authorities were quick to call for EU assistance soon after the fires were reported. Countries including Cyprus, Spain, Turkey, Italy and Germany, offered support. Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission chief, tweeted that the EU “will spare no effort to help.” But firefighters in Greece have long been warning that austerity measures
THE TREES SURROUNDING THE BEACH BURST INTO FLAMES. I JUMPED IN THE WATER.
imposed by Europe and the IMF meant they were illequipped for a major incident.
Two firemen, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “We have been asking for more resources for many years. We have been asking for a new aircraft. But even if we’d had 10 it may not have made a difference as the fire was so strong because of the winds, and houses and trees so close together.”
It was reported that some who jumped into the sea died from smoke inhalation as fumes billowed across the water. Other bodies were found inside houses and burnt-out cars. The youngest victim was thought to be a six-month-old baby who died from smoke inhalation, while three women and a child drowned in the sea.
Panos Skourletis, the interior minister, described the wildfires as “biblical” and said rescue workers were “still searching to see if there are more missing,” while Bournous warned: “The number of dead is rising.”
Stavroula Malliri, a fire department spokesman, said 156 adults and 16 children had been taken to hospital, 11 of whom were in serious condition.
Giorgos Ennios-Eros, 28, who lives in northern Rafina, told The Daily Telegraph that he felt the area could have been better secured against wildfires, which were common in Greece during the summer.
“We should cut down some of the trees to stop it happening again. But the area is protected, so cutting down trees is not permitted.”
Alexis Tsipras, the prime minister and leader of the Syriza party, declared three days of national mourning but added: “We mustn’t let mourning overwhelm us, because these hours are hours of battle, unity, courage and above all of solidarity.”