Hospitals evacuated as wildfires spread near Greek capital Athens

A children’s hospital has been evacuated as hundreds of firefighters battle to contain a major wildfire near Athens.

The fire has sent a blanket of smoke over the centre of the Greek capital and has forced officials to issue evacuation orders for more than a dozen areas, including the historic town of Marathon.

Fire officials said a military hospital, two monasteries, and a children’s home had also been evacuated on Monday.

In an update, authorities said 17 water-dropping planes and 16 helicopters were being deployed in waves as the blaze burns through pine forest and other vegetation on the northern fringes of the city.

Local media reported two firefighters have been slightly injured, while several civilians were being treated in hospital for smoke inhalation.

By Monday morning, 685 firefighters were being backed by 27 specially trained teams, 80 members of the armed forces, and large numbers of volunteers.

Along with the support from the air, they are also using 190 vehicles as part of their firefighting efforts.

Authorities said flames had been towering to more than 25m (82ft) in height as temperatures continued to hover around 35C (95F).

Latest pictures showed buildings alight and damaged infrastructure as fires spread across dry vegetation.

Residents of surrounding villages have been warned by emergency text messaging to evacuate.

Police said they were forced to evacuate more than 250 individuals, mostly elderly and others who did not heed the warnings.

A spokesperson added 380 police officers with 77 vehicles, 36 motorcycles, three buses and four vans were assisting in Monday’s evacuations.

Half of the country is currently under a “red alert” for wildfire hazard, climate crisis and civil protection minister Vassilis Kikilias said.

Authorities were faced with “an exceptionally dangerous fire, which we have been fighting for more than 20 hours under dramatic circumstances”, he added.

The fire was burning mainly on two separate fronts, with some parts proving difficult to reach in areas on a mountain north of Athens, Mr Kikilias said.

Three Athens hospitals were placed on heightened alert to treat any potential injuries.

The Greek coastguard ordered all ferries going to and from the port of Rafina, which is near Athens and serves mainly the Cycladic islands and Crete, to be diverted to other areas due to the fire.

The wildfire began on Sunday afternoon about 20 miles from Athens, fanned by strong winds and fuelled by the tinder-dry conditions after repeated heatwaves. It is not clear how much land the fires currently cover.

Another fire situated west of Athens had been contained, officials said.

The Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had returned from a break on the island of Crete to oversee the response to the blaze, a government official said.

Wildfires in Greece have become more frequent in recent years during increasingly hot, dry summers linked to climate change.

Last year, more than 8,000 blazes broke out, fire brigade data shows.

Since May, hundreds of wildfires have burned across the country, while June and July became the hottest months ever recorded in Greece.

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It also followed the country’s warmest winter ever.

Both meteorologists and government officials have warned of the heightened danger of wildfires.

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Climate change is leading to longer and more intense heatwaves and a higher risk of fires across southern Europe.

Greece’s neighbour, North Macedonia, has recently been fighting dozens of wildfires fanned by scorching temperatures and high winds.