Wildfires burn around Athens after prolonged drought in Greece

In Greece, authorities say lighter winds helped crews tame a wildfire that came within miles of the center of Athens. The blaze killed at least one person and forced multiple evacuations across the city’s suburbs. Residents returned to find their homes reduced to ash. As winds picked back up Tuesday afternoon, the region is again on high alert. Sangita Lal reports.

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Amna Nawaz: In Greece, authorities say lighter winds today helped crews tame a wildfire that came within miles of the center of Athens. The blaze killed at least one person and forced multiple evacuations across the city’s suburbs.

Residents returned today to find their homes reduced to ash, and as winds picked back up this afternoon, the region is again on high alert.

Sangita Lal of Independent Television News reports.

Sangita Lal: The roots are still burning beneath the soil here, even though the inferno has passed. There is a constant threat this earth could ignite again and cause even more damage.

There’s little to salvage for families who return today and little comfort for Thanissus (ph), who used to work in this factory. He came back to pay tribute to his friend, 62-year-old Nadia (ph), who was trapped inside as the wildfires engulfed the building. He’d known her for 25 years.

“The last time I spoke to her was yesterday at 3:00,” Thanissus tells me, “and she told me we were burning, we’re on fire.” He says: “There was a fire. I don’t know if she came out or not. Then at night, I learned she died.”

The owner of this house only bought it last year, but nothing in this suburb could escape the flames. Not even the metal in this car could stand the heat.

Angelos, Local Resident: We don’t have the forest anymore.

Sangita Lal: Angelos says he lived here for more than 40 years. He says the smoke was so thick, he couldn’t see the flames were so close.

Angelos: It traveled so fast, like, every second 20 meters, new fire here, new fire there, new fire there. In five minutes — in five seconds — sorry — I think it took a distance of like 100 meters. Now the whole north part of (inaudible) Attica is totally burned again.

Sangita Lal: Is this what you’re worried about?

Angelos: This is what I’m worried about.

Sangita Lal: This wind.

Angelos: Now it starts again and the whole thing here, I don’t know what will happen.

Sangita Lal: Forty-mile-an-hour gusts of forecast over the next few days and firefighters are racing to extinguish the terrain that’s become a tinderbox after prolonged drought and Greece’s hottest June and July on record.

Well, crews have just arrived here to soak smoldering land and going back over houses that were saved from the fires yesterday. We have heard them on the radio asking for more fire engines to turn up because they need more water. The reason they are here is because of the high winds later. If they don’t soak these houses, if they don’t soak the land, they could catch fire again.

The skies over Athens have cleared, but the risk remains in a country used to tackling wildfires, but never so close to the center of Greece’s capital, with concerns now this could become the new reality here.

Amna Nawaz: That report from Sangita Lal of Independent Television News.