Fires: Athens Under Siege
- August 24th, 2009
- Posted by EUEditor
Wild fires breaking out on the weekend brought Northern suburbs of the Greek capital under threat.
Thousands were forced to evacuate their homes, others stayed on to attempt to fight off the flames, as emergency services were for some time overwhelmed.
The number of hoses actually lost came to dozens, as firefighters began getting the outbreaks under control during Monday (24.8.09); water carrying aircraft were deployed and relief crews moved in from France and Italy.
Some one hundred fires burned out about 20 000 hectares of forest, as the flames threatened human life, and ancient monuments – at one stage advancing on the fabled town of Marathon.
Dry and windy Summer days have stirred up widespread fires in recent years, throughout Southern Europe, and often further afield.
Pictures:Â alarabonline, alertnet