By using this website you agree that we use cookies. You can find out more in the privacy policy.
Bombay Durpun - Greece counts cost as firefighters master fires around Athens
-
-
Choose a language
Automatically close in : 3
Wie gewohnt mit Werbung lesen
Nutzen Sie Bombay Durpun mit personalisierter Werbung, Werbetracking, Nutzungsanalyse und externen Multimedia-Inhalten. Details zu Cookies und Verarbeitungszwecken sowie zu Ihrer jederzeitigen Widerrufsmöglichkeit finden Sie unten, im Cookie-Manager sowie in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
Use Bombay Durpun with personalised advertising, ad tracking, usage analysis and external multimedia content. Details on cookies and processing purposes as well as your revocation option at any time can be found below, in the cookie manager as well as in our privacy policy.
Utilizar Bombay Durpun con publicidad personalizada, seguimiento de anuncios, análisis de uso y contenido multimedia externo. Los detalles sobre las cookies y los propósitos de procesamiento, así como su opción de revocación en cualquier momento, se pueden encontrar a continuación, en el gestor de cookies, así como en nuestra política de privacidad.
Utilisez le Bombay Durpun avec des publicités personnalisées, un suivi publicitaire, une analyse de l'utilisation et des contenus multimédias externes. Vous trouverez des détails sur les cookies et les objectifs de traitement ainsi que sur votre possibilité de révocation à tout moment ci-dessous, dans le gestionnaire de cookies ainsi que dans notre déclaration de protection des données.
Utilizzare Bombay Durpun con pubblicità personalizzata, tracciamento degli annunci, analisi dell'utilizzo e contenuti multimediali esterni. I dettagli sui cookie e sulle finalità di elaborazione, nonché la possibilità di revocarli in qualsiasi momento, sono riportati di seguito nel Cookie Manager e nella nostra Informativa sulla privacy.
Utilizar o Bombay Durpun com publicidade personalizada, rastreio de anúncios, análise de utilização e conteúdo multimédia externo. Detalhes sobre cookies e fins de processamento, bem como a sua opção de revogação em qualquer altura, podem ser encontrados abaixo, no Gestor de Cookies, bem como na nossa Política de Privacidade.
Greece on Wednesday counted the cost of devastating fires outside Athens that claimed one life, forced thousands to flee their homes and took three days to control.
Text size:
With the smoke still to clear, civil protection officials said the fire devoured 10,000 hectares (nearly 25,000 acres), destroying about 100 homes as well as other building and cars.
While isolated fires still burned, there were no major active blazes, but some 530 firefighters and 145 vehicles were monitoring events, said the fire service.
"The fire is not as intense as it was in the last few days," a fire service spokesman told AFP. "But there are still a few spots that could cause the fires to flare up again."
The fire broke out on Sunday at Varnavas, near the historic town of Marathon, 40 kilometres (25 miles) northeast of Athens.
Investigators think a faulty electricity pole may have been the cause, the Kathimerini newspaper reported.
Strong winds fed the flames, turning it into the worst wildfire this year in Greece.
As the flames approached the suburbs of the capital, teams from France, Italy, the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia and Turkey mobilised through an EU scheme to help Greece master the fires.
The reinforcements have not yet been used in the Athens fire, the fire brigade spokesman said.
- 'Under-staffed, under-equipped' -
With thousands of people forced to flee their homes, several stadiums were opened up to received them. Some 650 people were hosted in hotels, the civil protection ministry said.
The government has already earmarked 4.7 million euros for the eight towns hit by the fires, with pay-outs for households and individuals affected by the disaster.
But there was growing anger over what critics say was a lack of preparedness.
"Under-staffed, under-equipped and totally uncoordinated," said Stefanos Kasselakis, leader of the leftwing Syriza opposition party of the civil protection service, blaming Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
"We're doing our best to improve every year," said Mitsotakis after an emergency cabinet meeting Tuesday. "But conditions are unfortunately becoming more difficult."
Around 200 people demonstrated outside parliament on Tuesday evening to denounce what they called the government's "crimes".
"The solution won't just come from the air," he added: preventative work was also essential.
But toll of annual fires is growing. According to the meteo.gr website of the National Observatory, 37 percent of forests around Athens have been consumed by fire over the past eight years.