Discovered with drones

Fire near Athens: teenagers set a new fire

On the left you can see the area before the fire, on the right during the fire on satellite images. Near Athens, 85,000 hectares of land burned.

(Bild: AFP)

Only the use of state-of-the-art technology has prevented worse in the south of the Greek capital - but the shock runs deep.

The situation in Greece is escalating dramatically. The fires have been raging unabated for three days and the fire department is fighting tirelessly against the flames that keep flaring up. A fire also broke out in Glyfada in the south of Athens on Tuesday. But it soon became clear that it had been set. Two teenagers were arrested and fined 4640 euros. Thanks to drones and thermal imaging cameras, the fire was discovered early and brought under control.

As the fire broke out on a sports field, we quickly realized that it was arson.

Giannis Konstantatos, Bürgermeister von Glyfada

While the fires in the north-east of Athens continue to threaten the region, the emergency services are struggling with new sources of fire. The wind, which made the flames uncontrollable, died down on Tuesday, but the danger remains high - especially in the Nea Makri region, where the flames had already reached the first houses in Erythros. The charred body of a woman was found in a burnt hall in Patima Vrilission.

Pictures of the major fire near the capital:

Evacuations were able to prevent worse
More than 40 villages have been evacuated as a precaution since Sunday, a strategy that paid off. Despite the huge walls of flames, some of which were 25 meters high and kilometers long, only 13 people suffered minor smoke inhalation. In addition, one firefighter was slightly injured during the extinguishing work and another was seriously injured on Monday.

High fine dust pollution in Athens
According to initial estimates, an area of around 100 square kilometers was destroyed, including a wooded area that was considered one of the last "green lungs" of the metropolis of Athens. Over the past two days, the air in the capital was heavily polluted with particulate matter due to the extreme smoke development - at times, more than 100 micrograms of the tiny particles per cubic meter of air were measured. The EU limit value is 25 micrograms.

The government has announced extensive aid measures, such as financial support for victims and tax relief. In addition, rent subsidies and compensation for destroyed farms will be provided in order to repair the damage quickly.