Thousands flee as blazes rip across Greece, Turkey
DROSOPIGI, Greece — Thousands of people fled wildfires burning out of control in Greece and Turkey on Friday, including a major blaze just north of the Greek capital of Athens that left one person dead, as a protracted heat wave turned forests into tinderboxes and flames threatened populated areas, electricity installations and historic sites.
Turkey’s wildfires, described as the worst in decades, have swept through swaths of the southern coast for the past 10 days, killing eight people.
In Greece, firefighters were battling 56 active fires, Civil Protection chief Nikos Hardalias said. Multiple evacuation orders were issued for inhabited areas of the mainland and the nearby island of Evia, while the fire near Athens burned forests and houses in its path heading toward Lake Marathon, the capital’s main water reservoir.
“We continue our effort hour by hour to tackle the multiple fires we face today,” Hardalias said. The wind picked up Friday afternoon in many parts of Greece, increasing the danger.
Athens’ main trauma hospital said a 38yearold man died after sustaining a head injury from a falling utility pole in Ippokrateios Politeia, one of the neighborhoods north of Athens affected by the fire.
On Evia, the coast guard mounted a major operation to evacuate hundreds of people by sea, using patrol vessels, fishing boats and other private vessels to rescue residents and vacationers. Dozens of other villages and neighborhoods were emptied in the southern Peloponnese region and just north of the Greek capital as blazes raced through pine forests.
In Italy, local media reported Friday that two people died of smoke inhalation during a wildfire in the province of Reggio Calabria.