Smoky skies and the smell of burning in Athens are currently the hallmarks of the fires engulfing Greece, according to a Portuguese woman who lives in the country and cannot remember such a hot summer.
Maria da Piedade Maniatoglou, 67, told Lusa by telephone that the heat was very hot and that authorities had already allocated several places, such as the Olympic Stadium in Athens, to receive those who had been forced to leave their homes, those who needed to escape the smoke or simply cool down with air conditioning.
As in previous years, the rise in temperatures was accompanied by the registration of several fires, some of which reached the doors of the capital Athens.
The fire, which broke out on Thursday near the village of Varnava, about 40 kilometers north of Athens, quickly spread south overnight to the village of Penteli, about 15 kilometers north of the capital and on the outskirts of the urban area.
As a result of the fires, which are spreading rapidly due to strong winds and vegetation that encourages fires, authorities this morning ordered the evacuation of eight villages south of Mount Penteli, after the same measure affected 15 more villages further north, evacuated on Sunday, affecting a total of 35,000 people.
Maria da Piedade Maniatoglu noted that especially on Sunday the sky was very dark due to smoke and there was a smell of burning.
“People living on the outskirts of the city are in a very difficult situation. Air resources had to be stopped overnight, and during this period the fires continued to spread. It is very difficult,” he said.
Greece is one of the main tourist destinations in Europe, currently receiving thousands of tourists, including the Portuguese.
The Portuguese presence is noticeable not only on the islands, but also in the capital, Athens.
Last year, fires affected several Portuguese families, with some reporting they had to endure an odyssey to escape the flames and reach safety.
Greece even had its biggest evacuation operation ever due to fires that devastated the tourist island of Rhodes in July.
Maria da Piedade Maniatoglu, who is used to high summer temperatures, said she did not remember such a hot season. “The summer was very dry, there has been no rain for months, the wind is strong and helps the fire. There were houses that burned down, but fortunately there are no reports of casualties so far.”
According to firefighters, about 40 fires have broken out in Greece in the past 24 hours, most of which (33) were extinguished before they spread.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal

I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.