Greece counts cost as firefighters master fires around Athens

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.

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 many other buildings and cars.

While isolated fires still burned, there were no major active blazes, but some 570 firefighters and 174 vehicles were monitoring events, said the fire service.

"We are still in the area but there is no (threat). Some pockets of fire spring up but are dealt with," a fire service spokesman told AFP.

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.

A Turkish helicopter and two Italian planes have already joined the effort in Athens while a Serbian helicopter saw action against a fire in Serres, northern Greece, the spokesman said.

The largest force, over 160 firefighters and 55 fire engines sent by France, is expected later Wednesday.

- 'Under-staffed, under-equipped' -

With thousands of people forced to flee their homes, several stadiums were opened up to receive them. Some 650 people were hosted in hotels, the civil protection ministry said.

The government has already earmarked 4.7 million euros ($5.2 million) 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, referring to 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."

The Greek socialist party PASOK on Wednesday formally requested a parliamentary debate on the fire when the chamber reopens at the end of the month.

The government has vowed to hold a discussion in September, after the end of the fire season.

Around 200 people demonstrated outside parliament on Tuesday evening to denounce what they called the government's "crimes".

On Wednesday, as Mitsotakis visited a military base to thank pilots who had flown firefighting planes, he highlighted that the government had ordered seven new aircraft.

The first two DHC-515 water bombers will be delivered in 2027.

"The solution won't just come from the air," he added: preventative work was also essential.

But the 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.

Scientists say that human-caused fossil fuel emissions are increasing the length, frequency and intensity of heatwaves across the world, raising the risk of wildfires.