Latest news with #Kryoneri
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Greek residents defend homes as wildfire tears through village
STORY: :: Residents stay to defend their homes as wildfire tears through a Greek village :: Kryoneri, Greece :: July 26, 2025 :: Maria Papadomanolaki, Local resident "At this moment, if we had left our house, it would have burned completely. Like the other time, when we left because we were scared. Today we stayed, because in seconds the fire was to our right, to our left, all around us, it surrounded us. And we were shouting to put the fire out, our house is burning, you understand? We would have been left without a home. We must be grateful to the volunteers and the fire service because they rushed immediately, I can't say otherwise. But we are very lucky." Residents of nearby village Kryoneri were instructed by authorities to leave towards Athens. Helicopters were dropping water in the area where factories with flammable material are located, and 145 firefighters battled the flames, assisted with 44 vehicles, 7 helicopters and ten aircrafts. According to information from the Greek ambulance services, five people have been taken to hospitals from the fire front in Attica so far.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Climate
- Associated Press
Photos of a wildfire near Athens as homes burn
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A wildfire swept through the northern Athens suburb of Kryoneri, prompting evacuations as some homes caught fire. ___ This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Wildfire burns through northern suburb of Athens as residents told to evacuate
A wildfire burned through a northern suburb of the Greek capital of Athens on Saturday and some residents were ordered to evacuate, the country's fire service reported. Residents of the town of Kryoneri, 12.5 miles (20km) north-east of Athens, received three SMS messages to evacuate to safe areas, fire service spokesperson Vassilis Vathrakoyannis told reporters. Greek media have shown houses on fire. Vathrakoyannis said: 'There have been reports of damages. We will take stock when the fires have been put out.' 'The real difficulties are ahead of us,' he said, adding that Greece has asked for six firefighting planes from the European Union's civil protection mechanism. On site, 145 firefighters and 44 fire engines, 10 firefighting planes and seven helicopters were attempting to put out the fire, the origin of which is unknown. Four ambulances were treating at least five residents, most of them elderly with respiratory problems. Temperatures reaching, or exceeding, 38C, dry conditions and high winds are fanning the flames. Vathrakoyannis said that under such conditions wildfires 'expand very quickly and become dangerous. These conditions are expected to prevail over the coming days.' The fire service is also dealing with three other major fires in the south-west on Greece's two largest islands – Crete in the south and Evia north of Athens – and also on the island of Kythera, north-west of Crete. At least 335 firefighters, 19 planes and 13 helicopters are involved, but can only operate in daylight. In total, 52 wildfires broke out across the country over the past 24 hours, Vathrakoyannis said. Wildfires, many of them destructive, have become a common occurrence in Greece in recent years. Several have broken out in the past month.
Al Jazeera
4 days ago
- Climate
- Al Jazeera
Athens suburb residents told to evacuate as wildfires in Greece spread
A wildfire has burned through a northern suburb of the Greek capital of Athens, leading to the evacuation of some residents, the country's Fire Service has reported. Residents of the town of Kryoneri, 20km (12.5 miles) northeast of Athens, received three text messages on Saturday to leave for safe areas, Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyannis told reporters. 'There have been reports of damage. We will take stock when the fires have been put out,' the spokesperson said. Greek media outlets showed houses on fire. 'The real difficulties are ahead of us,' Vathrakoyannis said, adding that Greece has asked for six firefighting planes from the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism. On site, 145 firefighters and 44 fire engines, 10 firefighting planes and seven helicopters are attempting to put out the fire, whose origin is unknown. Four ambulances are treating at least five residents, most of them elderly with respiratory problems. Temperatures reaching, or exceeding, 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit), dry conditions and high winds are fanning the flames. Under such conditions, which are expected to persist in the coming days, wildfires 'expand very quickly and become dangerous', Vathrakoyannis said. The fire service is also dealing with three other major fires in the southwest of Greece's two largest islands — Crete in the south and Evia north of Athens — as well as on the island of Kythera, northwest of Crete. At least 335 firefighters, 19 planes and 13 helicopters are involved, but can only operate in daylight. In total, 52 wildfires broke out across the country over the past 24 hours, the spokesperson said. Wildfires, many of them very destructive, have become a common occurrence in Greece in recent years. Several have broken out in the past month. Heatwaves and dry conditions, which scientists link to climate change, have become more frequent across the world in recent years. Last month, temperatures reached as high as 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit) during a heatwave in southern Europe. 'With climate change leading to warmer temperatures and drier conditions and the increasing urbanization of rural areas, the fire season is starting earlier and ending later,' the World Health Organisation (WHO) says. 'Wildfire events are getting more extreme in terms of acres burned, duration and intensity, and they can disrupt transportation, communications, water supply, and power and gas services. '
BreakingNews.ie
4 days ago
- Climate
- BreakingNews.ie
Wildfire burns through Athens suburb as residents told to evacuate
A wildfire burned through a northern suburb of the Greek capital Athens on Saturday, and some residents were ordered to evacuate, the country's fire service reported. Residents of Kryoneri, 12.5 miles northeast of Athens, received three SMS messages to evacuate to safe areas, fire service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyannis told reporters. Advertisement Greek media have shown houses on fire. The spokesman said 'there have been reports of damage. We will take stock when the fires have been put out'. 'The real difficulties are ahead of us,' Mr Vathrakoyannis said, adding that Greece has asked for six firefighting planes from the European Union's civil protection mechanism. A house burns in Kryoneri (Yorgos Karahalis/AP) On site, 145 firefighters and 44 fire engines, 10 firefighting planes and seven helicopters are attempting to put out the fire, the origin of which is unknown. Four ambulances are treating at least five people, most of them elderly, for respiratory problems. Advertisement Temperatures reaching, or exceeding, 38C, dry conditions and high winds are fanning the flames. Under such conditions wildfires 'expand very quickly and become dangerous. These conditions are expected to prevail over the coming days', Mr Vathrakoyannis said. The fire service is also dealing with three other major fires in the southwest on Greece's two largest islands, Crete in the south and Evia north of Athens, and also on the island of Kythera, northwest of Crete. At least 335 firefighters, 19 planes and 13 helicopters are involved, but can only operate in daylight. Advertisement Fifty-two wildfires broke out across the country over the past 24 hours, the spokesman said. Wildfires, many of them destructive, have become a common occurrence in Greece in recent years. Several have broken out in the past month.
